How To Survive Year 1 at University

The University experience starts before the semester even begins. Prospective students are going to be moving away from home and may be travelling long distances so it's sensible to ensure everything is bought and packed in plenty of time. Packing List One of the great things about living on a University campus is that they'll always have shops and opportunities for students to buy anything they may have forgotten. It's a good idea to focus on the kitchen:

• Pots and Pans
• Storage Boxes
• Cutlery
• Plates and Mugs
• A Kettle

Other things such as toasters, peelers and sieves are important to most but can be borrowed or bought elsewhere. Some of the other essentials are obvious: a passport sized photo is very important as student cards and other access keys will require photos of this size. Anything to decorate the room can be optional, such as posters, games consoles, televisions and any other electronics. Student Accommodation The accommodation, even if it's on campus, needs to be sorted out with plenty of time to spare. It's one of the most important parts of preparing for University and the individual needs to really make sure they're paying the right money and staying in the perfect accommodation. The choice is usually between self-catered and catered accommodation. Another reason this has to be done quickly is so the student can set about redirecting their mail, such as bank statements. The various room types available are wide-ranging, from single rooms to en-suite. Making Friends This is a shared scenario, that someone will arrive in new surroundings and not make any friends, but it's important to keep in mind that everyone is in the same situation. Students need to embrace their new lives and jump right in, attending socials, pub crawls, shopping trips, meals out and everything else. University opens up a lot of avenues and offers a selection of clubs and societies. This is the main hub of University life and it's vital that new students sign themselves up to as much as they can. The housemates are important as well and it's important to make sure things are amicable within households as many of these people will be looking for a house next year as well. Finances/Grants This can be tricky and complex to work out at first but needs to be done the moment the student has their place confirmed at University. This topic is important to research as, based on the household income, students could be entitled to certain grants and other bursaries to help them through the year. These grants are available through a host of organisations and so it's important to ensure that the individual is well supplied and versed in how much money they're owed. Be sure to develop budgets, expenditures and anything else that will help control money being spent on rent, books and socialising.