On Saturday I'm back off to university this week to settle into my second year house and earn some money before beginning my course again! I'm partially really excited with the prospect of being independent again however I'm also going to miss having my lovely family around me when I need a vent or help with something.
Reflecting on the experiences I had in first year, I have taken a fair few lessons with me into preparing for second year, and these include;
Find out assignment deadlines and write them in a planner as soon as possible
You will pat yourself on the back later, when suddenly you find you have three assignments due within three days of each other (this was a personal struggle). It helps you to establish how much time you have to complete tasks taking into account the rest of things you need to do during the week.
Try not to rely on an overdraft
While people joke about never being able to pay back student debt (hey £9,000 a year), it is never wise to justify paying for everything with your student loan because you don't have to pay it back yet. I have seen so many friends spend the whole year trying to pay themselves out of their overdraft, including during summer work, it's super depressing! Whilst it is hard to keep up with the expensive lifestyle of being a fresher, trying to budget a little will go a long way.
Take all of your clothes with you
While you may think it wise to limit how many clothes you bring, it's much wiser to take as much as you can with you! Why's that? Because literally any piece of clothing can serve as night out attire on student nights as long as you have something to dress it up! And if you, like me hates wearing the same outfit twice, having tops that can be worn out and during the day are a lifesaver!
Stock up on food basics to keep food shopping cheap
At the start of the year, buy a HUGE bag of rice, noodles and pasta so you have a varied base for cheap and easy meals. Everything else is up to you, but I would hugely recommend stocking up on these to cut the cost from the beginning. Other suggestions would be herbs to spice up dishes, salt, and a spare loaf of bread in the freezer - bread goes off so so quickly!
NEVER do other people's washing up
You may think you're helping out flatmates, but honestly they will take full advantage if they're lazy enough. If you're lumbered with a slob of a flatmate like I was, stash all of their unwashed dishes in a cardboard box and hide it away somewhere so you can't see the mould. If they see you doing their washing up once, they'll think you'll do it for them forever!
Don't go out if you have to be persuaded into going
Fresher's pressure is certainly real, as well as FOMO but I urge you not to go out if you're really not feeling it. I guarantee you will hardly enjoy watching everyone else getting drunk and falling about when all you wanna do is snuggle in your trackies in front of your laptop, and plus your liver will thank you for the well-needed break!
Thanks for reading lovelies (: are you off to university or college this September? xx
Image - Please check out Jaquie's photography it really is breathtaking!
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