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Coming to university can feel like a whirlwind. Here are some pieces of advice from seasoned students to help new students navigate this new environment.
- It’s okay if you don’t click with your flatmates straight away or make any friends during freshers week. Let things take their natural course.
- Try out as many societies as you can in your first year. It’s a great way to meet new people, try something new, and take a break from your studies.
- Don’t feel pressured to go to every single social a society hosts. You’re still a member even if you only turn up every other week.
- Don’t date someone you met at freshers.
- If there’s a fair for anything, go to it. They will always have freebies, whether that be free samples of expensive products or doughnuts.
- Take advantage of lecturers’ office hours. It’s what they’re there for, so use them, even if its only to clarify something small.
- You can (and should) buy second-hand textbooks from eBay or World of Books.
- Before every lecture, check if the PowerPoint has been uploaded to Moodle. If it has, copy and paste all its contents into your notes. That way, when you go to the lecture, you can actually listen to your lecturers, rather than frantically typing everything down before the slide changes.
- Online calendars can help with visualising and organising your time.
- It’s fine to not know what you’re doing. We’re all questioning what we’re doing and where we’ll end up. You don’t need all the answers now.
- Take some time for yourself every week. Have it built into your schedule. You CANNOT expect yourself to function without looking after your mental well-being. An hour or two to yourself per week will keep burnout at bay.
- Keep in touch with your friends and family from home; they’ll be missing you too.
- Attempt to have some sort of sleep schedule. If you’ve had 5 hours or less of sleep in the night, take a nap in the middle of the day.
- Get an alarm clock. Your phone alarm will either be turned off, or you’ll end up endlessly scrolling.
- Most foods can last in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Keep your kitchen clean for the sake of your flatmates; don’t be the messy one.
- There’s a free bus from the underpass to Sainsbury’s every Wednesday.
- Drink a jug of water after a night out before going to bed.
- Wash your water bottle once a day.
- Noodles and soup are great backups when you’re too ill to cook.
- Stockpile painkillers and get a first aid kit.
- Fabric softener is a scam, you don’t need it.
- Make a Careers Connect account as soon as you can. There are lots of part-time work opportunities on campus for students.
- Before making any dubious decisions in the library, remember someone might report it back to OnlyLancs.
- Be yourself at all times. People gravitate towards authenticity.
