So, you are about to leave your home and become a student at university, the idea of that can be a daunting prospect. You’re walking away from the support of close friends and family into the unknown, on your own, forced to make new friends and adjust to a new lifestyle which is usually far away. How can you successfully navigate through this crazy journey you are about to embark? Here are a few little tips to get you ready.

  • Get Out of Your Room! It takes time to make new friends, they will evolve with time, so don’t worry if it hasn’t happened yet, but sitting in your room will not help you, take a leap of confidence. Go to that common room and meet the people you live with. Making friends in your accommodation is vital, these are your new family for a whole year! Freshers week is also packed with events organised by your uni, so don’t hesitate to attend some of those.  Don’t wait for friends to come to you!

 

  • Turn That Room into Home. Coming back to a boring room with no personality is going to make you homesick. Fill your room with photos and personal items to make it feel more like your place. If this is your first flat, then spread those creative wings and make it yours.

 

  • Stay in Touch with Everyone at Home – Uni can be lonely, don’t forget your friends back home are still your friends, you can still call them at any time. Sometimes going home for the weekend is just what you need to fill refreshed again.

 

  • Manage Your Time. The single best thing you can do is buy a calendar. Soon, your head is going to be full of exams, dissertations and friends. Write it all down, pop it on the wall and before you know it you will be ready for everything life throughs at you, from friends to tackling the reading, assignments, and test prep. It’s all easy business when you know it’s coming!

 

  • Look After You. It’s easy to forget about looking after yourself when at uni. Don’t eat another pizza, cook yourself something healthy. Your body will thank you, and so will your mind. Speaking of your mind, don’t forget to take some time to unplug yourself from everything, take at least 20 minutes to sit quietly and reflect on all things you have to be thankful for. Clear and declutter your mind. Not adjusting to uni life well? You are not alone; this is something everyone feels. However, make you speak up and get some help. From uni or your accommodation, there are plenty of staff around you who are ready to help.

 

  • Budget– For a lot of students this is the first time you will be looking after your own budget.There is rent, food, travel and let’s not even get started on the amount you will spend with friends, learn to live within your means, ditch the takeaways and cook yourself something great and cheap! Remember to write down all the dates your bills are due, being on top of these will take away a lot of stress.

 

  • Make the Most of ItThree years seems like a long time now, but it will be over in a flash, these are some of the best times of your life. Don’t let it pass you by without doing all the things you wanted to do.  You can do itand you can make it happen Tipbut most importantly, enjoy it.