8 Top Tips to Survive University
Going to university is a big step for any student! Sometimes the prospect of starting something new like this can be intimidating. There are lots of things to consider, particularly if you’re living away from home. Whether it comes to food, money or more there’s plenty of ways to make your university experience that little bit easier. Here are some top tips to help you survive your time at university:
Budgeting
This is probably the most obvious and important skill you need to survive university. Depending on whether you’ve managed to get a student loan or you’re doing it all independently, money will need to be budgeted! The easiest way is to designate a certain amount of money towards each aspect of your life. For example, £50 a week towards food, £30 a week towards nights out etc. You should cater the amounts to how much money you have and how much you’re willing to spend. If you can squeeze a little bit into your savings too – your future self will be thanking you!
Plan your meals
Something that can also help with budgeting is planning what you’re going to eat during the week. That way when you go shopping you can hopefully pick everything up in one shop and estimate how much it’s going to cost. Some universities run lectures really late and you’ll thank yourself if you’ve planned a nice easy meal to eat once you’re back home. It’s also a million times better than waiting in a long queue in a busy city because you weren’t prepared, (unless you’re getting a takeaway of course!).
Experiment with cooking
For a lot of people, going to university is their first time having real independence – so it might be yours too! If you don’t know much about cooking you won’t be alone but it could be a fun skill to learn whilst you’re there. After all, you’ll be having to feed yourself for the rest of your life. Utilise your parent-free kitchen and get out the chopping board! BBC GoodFood has plenty of recipes and even a section purely for students. Check it out, it’s a great place to start and you’ll find something you like in no time!
Make a cleaning rota with your housemates
It’s important to be serious about this from early on because there are lots of horror stories around the state of student cleanliness! You may end up being the only one who does any cleaning and after a while, it’s going to get irritating cleaning up after other people. Believe us, a university kitchen can get a little gross with tasks like taking the rubbish out or sweeping the floors. Making a rota will give each person something to do, to contribute towards the flat and they’re more likely to help if they’re assigned to something. Students can be lazy! And if you’re the messy one, start doing your bit. You don’t want to be letting the side down.
Decide on laundry
At university, you’ll have to pay for your laundry to be washed. Most of the time you get given a card when you move in that you swipe on the washing machines. However, it can be super expensive and the cost really adds up depending on how much washing you have to do, so there are alternatives. If you’ve got parents in close proximity, a lot of students take their clothes home to be washed (but not all parents are happy about this of course!). Obviously, if you’re too far away then this probably isn’t an option but it will save you a few pounds if you can and trust us, everyone’s doing it!
Email your tutors if you have questions
This might sound silly but many people have the fear when it comes to emailing their tutors or lecturers. Don’t feel like any questions are ‘stupid’ because you’ll feel so much better once you’ve got the answer you’re looking for. Take advantage of those around to help you and you’ll find everything is a lot easier. Depending on the topic, you might also be able to have your lecturers read your drafts or essay plans. Things like this will give you a better chance at a good grade. Don’t miss out!
Use your student discount
One of the best parts of being a student is saving money on clothes. Almost every store you shop at will accept your student discount and even if it doesn’t seem like a lot, the amount you save will add up. Of course, this is only available while you’re in education so make the most of it! You’ll miss it when it’s gone.
Plan for your deadlines and don’t start last minute
If you’ve finished the first year, you may have got into that dreaded routine of not putting much effort in. Most of the time first-year grades don’t count so people end up being pretty relaxed about how hard (or more like, how little!) they work. That soon changes though! As the years go on you want to make sure you’re on top of everything, it gets much harder. Get into a good routine early and you’ll be getting the high grades you want in no time!
These are some of the best tips to help you survive your time at university. It’s not as scary as it might seem but following our guidance will make your experience much easier. The most important tip of all? Have fun! It is a new experience after all. If you’ve got any tips for surviving uni that you want to share with other students, comment them down below.
