Starting University - All you need to know

"Have I chosen the right course"?, "Will I make new friends"?, "What do I need to bring with me"?, "What if I miss home and decide it's not for me"?...

Starting university is one of the most exciting, yet most frightening times of your life. Trust me, we have all been there!
I remember the upcoming weeks before enrolling onto my course and I had about a million questions whizzing through my mind. It was a really exciting time for me because this was going to be the first time I'd be living away from home. I also particularly remember feeling nervous and scared. Nobody would be there to do my washing, nobody would be there to make sure that I was up in the mornings and above all, nobody would be there to cook my all time favourite lasagna!

I remember researching everything I could and reading many student forums to make sure that I had everything that I needed. I was so worried that I'd arrive to my halls and realise that I'd forgotten something important behind, or even worse, that I wouldn't like anyone that I was living with and that I'd be lonely for the rest of my years at uni.
Yep, it's crazy the kind of thoughts that go through your mind when you're stressing out!

Let me tell you though, none of this was important or even necessary for me to have had. What I didn't realise at the time, was that this was going to be a fresh start to my life, a new chapter. It didn't matter if I had forgotten something behind, or if I now had to learn how to cook. None of this was important because I was finally going to grow up and flourish into a better me. To this day, I wish I hadn't worried so much about these minor things because before I knew it it was all over so fast :(

So anyway, I figured that there are probably a lot of young people who are currently in the same position that I was in a few years ago. So I thought I would write a quick guide, or at least tell you about my experience and the ways to go about things in order to make these next few years the best you've ever had!

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So, you've chosen your course, you've got your accommodation sorted, now all that's left is making sure you pack the important things you'll need and get yourself ready for this new chapter.
By now, you should have received a guide to your freshers week, giving you all the information you need to know as well as a guide with some sort of schedule with your moving in day. Although, let;s not forget that some uni's aren't as organised as others, so if you haven't received anything, fear not! I will try to list out the things that you need to know below:

Before arrival:

1. Make a list of all the things that you need to bring with you. Some accommodations supply a lot of the trinklets and bits and bobs that you need in your social space and bedrooms. However, make sure you find out exactly what is being provided for you. Then make a list of all the ESSENTIAL things that you will need (I have done a separate post with a University Checklist). 
2. Make sure that you have printed any arrival documentation that you will need when you move in and for enrolment. This may be things such as passport, letters of acceptance, exam certificates and anything which you may have been told to bring with you. Make sure you read your emails carefully because they will often tell you about these things. 
3. Make sure you know your moving in date and the times, visit your university website, Facebook and Twitter pages, to find out whether they are posting any freshers information. I particularly remember that my university halls had a separate Facebook page where people could post their flat numbers so that others living in the same flats could comment. This was a great way to meet people before arriving! 

Moving in day: 

1. I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people who likes to make sure everything is packed from the day before so that on the day I don't have to think about anything other than getting myself to where I need to be. If you are also like this, or struggle to get to places on time, I advice you ensure that you have everything packed from the night before so that all you have to do is get yourself moved in. 
2. Once you arrive, make sure you follow the instructions that you were given before moving in (by this point you would have certainly received something telling you where to go)
3. Once you've moved your stuff into your room, what I advise you to do next is to leave your bedroom door open so that if you haven't already met the others living in your flat, this would be an opportunity to meet them when they arrive!

Meeting people: 

I must say that at the time, I was not the best person when it came to socialising. I was always quite shy to approach new people but this is where you really have to make the effort to conquer your fears and get talking! 

Honestly, I cannot stress this enough but the more people you will meet in freshers week, the better it will be. People will be as friendly as they're going to get during this stage, so it's best to get to know as many of them as you can. I'm not saying to over do it, but just make the effort to be yourself and show the best side of you. 

You'll soon realise that you'll naturally "click" with some people over others and before you know it, you'll have made so many new acquaintances and new friends :)

First day of lectures:

Eeeek, the "scary" day. I remember this day so clearly, I struggled to sleep the night before because I was so worried to go to class actually having to learn things that at the time, I imagined would be so hard for me to understand. But honestly, I was fine... 

All I can suggest, is firstly to make sure that you have your timetable printed. I printed mine as soon as it was available online. I even made my own version so it looked pretty and colourful up on my pin board. Then make sure that you have read all of your modules guidelines and have any books and literature printed so that you can be prepared before your lectures. If you can get into the habit of doing this early on, believe me, you'll ACE uni! 

Then make sure that you have any equipment that you may need, depending on your course/module this would vary. 

Finally...

Enjoy yourself. These next few years are going to change you so much. You are going to learn not only a lot about the course that you will be studying but also about yourself. You'll grow up as a person and you'll finally be able to see what you are capable of. Make sure you take lots of pictures, keep a diary and just make it a time to remember!

I wish all of those starting uni in September all the best and don't hesitate to get into contact or comment down below if I've not answered any questions!

Thanks for reading and I hope that you've found this post helpful! 

❤️

   Love, ML x