UNI.UNI.UNI.

As it's now that time of year when school is nearly over, its time for some of you to be thinking to September. Even though its a few months until then, this summer will be one of the best summers ever (in my opinion) but it will fly by, so its very important to be prepared. As of last week, I was one of the many freshers that finished their first year at uni, not without the many ups and downs let me say. This year has gone extremely fast and its crazy to think about how much has changed in such a short space of time.

I thought it would be useful for you lot who are going to uni in September to get some tips from someone who has experienced it all.

The Basics

The most important thing that any fresher should do is learn how to handle their money, so i suggest you make a budget as soon as your student own comes in. Working out how much money your housing is and how much money you will need for food then you can work out how much extra money you have. This allow you to avoid the embarrassing phone call to mum/ dad/ grandparents at the end of each term asking for money as you've run out.

Along with all your other bits ad bobs that you will take to uni so that you can survive your first year, that include the basic bits such as cooking essentials, toiletries, bedding, towels … etc. I recommend that you only bring two sets of cutlery, plates, bowls and any other cups or mugs that you want to take. I say this so that it will encourage you to wash up as and when you've used each item. Trust me this will save you so much time and uses very little effort. So to solve the problem of not having enough cups for visitors that appear for pre-drinks, just buy plastic cups so you can throw the away afterwards without any hassle.

For some of you, you may have moved far away from home, so to try and stop any homesickness bring along loads of pictures of family and friends with you to decorate your new room. Bringing along any personal times such as cuddles toys or other decorations will make the settling in process easier.

The Social

DON'T BE AFRAID TO JUST BE YOU! This has to be the most important thing that I have learnt this year. When meeting new people don't put on an act as you will then have to keep it up for the next 3 years or so, and that will be pretty hard. Have fun and enjoy every minute of your new experience as the time will fly by.

One of the quickest and easiest way to meet new people is to go and talk to your neighbours. If you live in halls this can be a great way to get to know whole floors and therefore meet many new people. Making new friends can be scary, but everyone is in the same boat.

Try joining a society or sports team as this is another great way to meet new people. Many of my best friends this year have been from my own new club. Many of these cubs may have their own socials (which can involve night outs) which is also a great way to have fun and let your hair down.

The Degree

After having all this fun, the main reason to going to uni is to learn and gain new skills in the case of a degree. I may sound like your mum now, but just remember to balance the fun with the lectures. Remember you are paying £9,000 a year for your course so turn up to your lectures as if you don't just think of all the money you will be wasting per hour. I know the thought of a 9am on a monday morning sounds like death but turn up or you could miss important information.

Lastly, don't leave all your work to the last minute. Some courses will give you the deadlines for work right at the start of the year. So when you're in October, March seems a very long time away. But trust me this time will creep up on you and soon you'll have left it until 2 weeks before the deadline. So do work little and often so you won't be the stress head when deadline come around!