Having gone through one of the biggest changes of my life so far, moving to University, I thought I'd share my experience and any tips I have while they're fresh in my mind! I'll start by outlining that I'm not the most outgoing of people. Not because I'm unsociable or lack confidence, just because I'm not great at dealing with change. So, like most people becoming University students, I had a tonne of worries! One of which in particular, was really bothering me and just in case anybody else out there happens to feel the same way, I will share how it all turned out...
Well, I've never really enjoyed "clubbing" or the nightlife scene at all. I used to get really upset about it because, as a young person, everybody goes out at night! Especially Uni students. For a while, I didn't think too much about it, apart from avoiding nights out. Until, during a (fantastic) girls holiday, it all came to a head and I came to the conclusion that I'd developed anxiety... triggered mostly by nightclubs. My younger brother, Andrew, has Autism and has suffered with severe anxiety his whole life, but I never thought that might be what was causing the problem for me. I used to feel sick, my heart would race and everything would just feel really overwhelming. Some people believe that you must not let anxiety stop you from doing things, but the fact is, I'm just not ready to deal with it in that way. It's not affecting many areas of my life, just the one, so I decided to take control and rather than forcing myself into the nightlife, I decided to socialise in other ways that suit me. All my friends became really supportive of it and continued to invite me to do other things I enjoyed like going out for dinner or shopping etc. However, my real worries came from wondering whether meeting people at University would prove to be difficult, as I wasn't interested in clubbing.
After spending my first couple of weeks at University, I can now say that none of my worries came true :) During one of the seminars, we all spent some time getting to know each other and I found that I wasn't alone and that other people weren't big partiers either. I also found that when I told people I wouldn't be joining in on the clubbing fresher's events, no one reacted badly and made me feel embarrassed, they were all really nice about it :) So, all in all I couldn't have hoped for it to go better... I hope this helps if anybody is going through the same worries as I was! :)
Now, with all the deep stuff aside... time to move on to more practical advice on applying, what to buy and moving into University accommodation :)
APPLYING...
- Create a 'University' folder in your inbox to keep all your emails from UCAS and others in, so you always know where to find them, quickly and easily!
- Keep note of deadlines! Seems pretty obvious, but I managed to let a few minor ones slip through the net which left me in a more difficult situation. In particular, find out the date that accommodation is open to apply to, for each University you apply to specifically. Then, on that date, you can be ready to apply straight away to make sure you get the right accommodation for you, as it fills up very quickly!
- Write a personal statement to be proud of! I actually cried when I wrote mine haha, it was very personal, and with the help of a teacher from college, I felt confident sending it off.
- Keep all the letters you get in the post to do with University in a folder so they're all together in case you need to present them.
- Go and see the University! I only live about 40 minutes away from my chosen campus, but I still managed to avoid a visit until the day before I moved in! When me and my family seen the place, we all felt a burst of confidence as it exceeded all expectations, I loved it!
- Join Facebook groups! Before starting in September/October, Matthew advised that I join some Facebook groups for the University and start making some friends. This proved to be such a good thing to do as I had already met some people so I felt a lot less lonely.
MY UNI ROOM...
I chose to stay in a studio room, which sounds much more glamorous than it is haha. It has an en suite and a small kitchen area so it's a little more independent than a shared flat. I was really pleased when I seen the room as it's got everything I'd need... although I will say that there isn't a great deal of storage space. So, if you're a girl like me and seem to have generated a lot of 'stuff ' ... hopefully these little tips will prove useful!
1. Go to IKEA!
Shopping for University can be a big expense, so taking a trip to IKEA is great for saving some pennies! I picked up a pack of 6 small pop up storage boxes in white, to store make up and skincare easily. The little plant pot in the picture above, stores my make up brushes and I think it was about £2. My favourite item shown in the picture is the 2 step desk organiser which I've forgotten the name of, but it's come in so handy! It's almost an extension of desk space... which I will make much better use of when I start getting a lot more paperwork but for now it holds my perfumes and some little decorative bits :)
They also do really nice bedding that's really cheap! This is a double bed set for £15... and as you can see by the little grin on his face it's lovely and comefy haha!
2. Surround yourself with "homey" stuff
* I also packed lots of DVDs in the two white boxes, they're from ikea and they're £2 *
3. Go to poundland... they're really good for cups and plates etc! (£1 each)
4. Bring a doorstop, extension lead and coat hangers!
5. To avoid using up the limited storage space, use things with hanging hooks that can hang on walls or in the wardrobe. This one is from Cath Kidston in the sale at £19... they still sell them at regular price and they're so useful!
6. Fairy lights or soft nightlights are really nice if you need to relax after a long day...
7. Go to Primark... as close to the end of September as possible as their sales start on basic home ware stuff (most students have already moved in).. I picked up some towels and bedding for under £20...
EXTRAS
Zara : Office girl £49.99
Get lots of "easy food" for when you can't be bothered to cook!
You'll get tones of free stuff! ^^^ So be excited and be sure to use up vouchers asap.....
So, as well as being a little document of feelings during my first weeks of uni for me to look back on, I hope that was a little inspiration to anyone out there who's got uni preparations on their mind! After writing this and thinking about how the past few weeks have gone, I've been really pleased with the outcome. It's a really proud feeling when hard work pays off and you end up at a great University, studying for a degree you enjoy! So best of luck to any future freshers! Hope this was a useful little insight into the first parts of student life! :)
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