You are embarking on a great adventure that will shape the rest of your life. Being prepared will help you make the most of this opportunity. We have outlined some thoughts and tips to help you on your way, and to do well and to stay well.
Preparing for life at university
Links we have included are not recommendations
Student Bank accounts
Highly competitive market. Not all accounts are the same. The bank you choose may well be the bank you stay with for your working life. This is why they work so hard to win you as a customer.
- Arrange it before you leave home.
- Ask someone who has experience to help you choose.
- Overdrafts cost money!!
Student bank accounts 2021: Overdraft limits and perks on offer (inews.co.uk)
Remember money, or more specifically, the lack of it, has a huge effect on you psychological wellbeing. You cannot concentrate properly when you are stressed. It will impact on every part of your life. Accommodation and food are your only essentials.
Tips:
Start by calculating how much money you have and decide what your spending priorities are. What is essential, and what is not. Convenience is not a consideration. Understand that if you can save money, it will benefit you. A simple spreadsheet will do the hard work for you.
- Never assume you should try to match other people when it comes to spending. You have no idea what their circumstances are.
Student Budgeting Planner – incl. spreadsheets to help you budget – MSE (moneysavingexpert.com)
Student Budget PlannerLiving away from home for the first time
Plan in advance!!
Start by looking in every room at home. This will tell you what you will need. Things you have found just by looking won’t be there. Use this to list what you will need.
Tip: Buy early. When you get to university you will struggle to buy such things as a bedding or towels at a good price. You will pay a lot more than you need to, and you may not even find certain things. You are not the only person starting life at university, and there are only so many kettles in the world!!
Learn how to shop. Aldi and Lidl are set up in almost every university town. Sandwich and pie shops sell stock cheaply late in the day. Go round a supermarket before you leave home.
Up to 10% OFF | Aldi Student Discount | August 2021 (hotdeals.com)
How to get Greggs food worth £8 for just £2.59 | Metro News
Look after your mental health
There is a scientifically proven link between high IQ and problems with mental health.
The universities all have support systems in place, but they are only ever useful if you access them!!
You are making a huge change in your life. It will present challenges. You must be alert to the warning signs. They can include:
- Lack of interest
- Overeating
- Loss of appetite
- Mood swings
- Confusion
- Withdrawal
This is not intended to be a complete list. We offer additional workshops covering this topic.
Looking after your physical health
Avoiding changing your dentist would make sense. You can arrange appointments when you are home
You will need a GP. Ask at the university about temporary registration. You should not register as a permanent patient. You can only register with one GP. It could mean you may have to travel hundreds of miles to see your GP in the future. Before you dismiss this suggestion, google freshers flu!!
Diet is important. Poor diet is proven to damage both your physical and mental health. As a general rule, try to avoid heavily processed foods. They are convenient, but you should limit the intake.
Tip: While you are living at home, there are controls in place which are intended to keep you safe. When there are no parent or guardian controls in place, you have to substitute self-control. You have responsibility for your own safety. Rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t not consider doing something at home, don’t consider doing it at university.
Just because you can do something, it really doesn’t mean you should!!
Planning
This is specific to your work, not to your personal or social life.
Some key changes include:
- You will be working at a level you have never worked at before.
- You will be working independently.
- You will be writing in an academic style.
- You will not be chased for late work. It is solely your responsibility to submit it.
- You must learn about how work is marked and evaluated to understand how your final classification is decided.
Tip:
Consider your life as a student to be a full-time job. 9-5 is a familiar expression. It does not have to be literally 9-5, but you pick the hours best suited to your psychology and learning style. Night owls work better at different times to early birds. Work on every assignment, every day. Remember school? You worked on a range of subjects every day. It worked very well for you. So well you are going to university!!
6 Best Planner Apps for Students – Calendly.com
A plan is only ever useful if you use it. Preparing a great plan you ignore has wasted your time.
Final thought on planning: tomorrow is not a day of the week!!