How To Prepare For University

September is probably a nervous time for a lot of you as some of you may be going off to university or college for the first time. It’s an eye opening experience because it’s your first real opportunity of being an adult. It can be exciting but also very daunting. As someone who went to university twice to do a bachelors and masters, I learned a few things along the way. Of course this isn’t just a post for the freshers, maybe you’re a returning student that might need a refresher on how to prepare for university. Either way I hope there’s something for everyone.

Let’s get started.

Make sure your accommodation is sorted

This may be an obvious one but hopefully you did it all when you got accepted or applied. I can’t actually remember if it was before or after I got accepted but either way make sure you know where you’re staying. The first time around I stayed in the quiet halls of residence which actually wasn’t very quiet but it was pretty decent. It was more a case of no noise after 11pm but by that time everyone had gone to the club. Honestly I don’t think it really makes much of a difference if it’s the quiet halls or not. It’s still the same communal area. When I did my masters, not going to lie having an en-suite bathroom was the best decision for me but that’s probably because I was 24 and didn’t like sharing a bathroom. Just know it’s slightly pricier. Either way my point is make sure you have sorted your accommodation and know how to pay the rent. Normally your student finance will cover that and it will go out either on the day or the day after you get paid. Just make sure you budget for your accommodation.

Register at a gp surgery

Not going to lie in my first three years of university. I didn’t do this. I just stayed registered at my gp at home. It didn’t affect me that much. Probably because I was lucky, I didn’t take regular medication or have any health problems. When I did my masters, I found it was a good idea to register with a local gp as I studied my masters in 2020 so we all know what happened during that time. I only went there twice for the jabs but at least I knew I was covered. Plus registering with a gp online is pretty simple these days. Just know you can’t register with two gps at once. You either need to be with one or the other. Can’t have one at home and one at uni. You can do a temporary registration but that’s only for three months usually. Either way it’s a good idea to register with a gp at uni because you never know what can happen. 

Keep your packing to a minimal

I say this as someone who majorly overpacked when I went to uni. I brought so many books, DVDs, board games and other stuff that I didn’t even need. I packed my entire wardrobe and didn’t even wear half of the items. One good thing at the end of my first year we were given charity clothing bags where we could donate clothes so I had a huge sort out and filled two bags as I knew I had clothes I never even wore throughout my first year. Just know you will still have a bedroom at home so you don’t need to bring every little thing. These days you don’t need to bring DVDs with streaming services so that’s one less thing. Remember you’re not going to be in the middle of nowhere. You will have shops nearby. Honestly keep your packing minimal because remember who has to carry it. When I did my masters, I was on the fourth floor and there was no list. I had to carry all my stuff up four flights of stairs to my room. That definitely made me wish I had packed less. 

Learn to cook

This may seem obvious but you’re going to need to eat when you’re at university. Sadly you can’t live on microwave meals and noodles. You will need to eat proper food. I’m not saying you need to be the next Gordon Ramsay but learning a few basics can make you go a long way. Things like spaghetti bolognaise, curry, stir fry, fajitas, pasta sauce. There’s also a lot of meal kits out there, practice when you’re at home. It’s good to make sure you know the basics of cooking before you go to university because it will help you in the long run. Once you know the basics then it will give you an opportunity to experiment in the future.

Make sure you check all your uni emails

When you get accepted to your course, you will get a lot of emails. Some are signing up to the university’s portal, accommodation portal, inviting you to join Facebook groups, giving you info about the university and your course. Make sure you take time to read them and get signed up before you go. It will save you a lot of time but also give you information. It can be really daunting as doing a degree is a step up from school which means the work can be more daunting. Take the time to read the course details and what you may have to do. It's important to keep up to date on all your uni emails as they are important.

Learn to manage your money

It’s important to learn how to manage your money before you go to university. Something I did was look at my student finance and break down how much I’d get each term. I know that has to last four months until the next pay day. I’d check how much money I’d need for accommodation, phone bills and other things. It’s a good time to learn how to budget. I remember googling how to do a grocery shop for £10. Sometimes it’s amazing what you can get on a budget. It’s a good idea to learn how to manage your money now because you’re going to be doing it for the rest of your life and unfortunately it won’t be a student finance at the term it would be your wages. Don’t be that student that spends lots of money on everything and take advantage of the student overdraft because that won’t last forever. Trust me. 

Do a little research on the area

Something I love to do is get my little person on google maps and drop it down on the location to see what it looks like. I like to get a rough idea on things, once crucial one was where the nearest supermarket was. Do I have to walk there or is there a bus I can take? Not going to lie, I never took the bus. I always walked with my rucksack to the supermarket which was like a 20 minute walk away but honestly I loved doing it because it was exercise but I can limit myself on what to buy. It’s also nice to know a rough idea of what’s nearby for things like train stations, gp, takeaways or even where the night clubs are. It’s good to have a rough idea on how to get around instead of being thrown in the deep end. 

Be yourself

Just know at university, it’s the first time you have freedom from your parents but it’s important to be yourself because you will find your people. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not because that’s just hard work keeping up with lies. If you’re not a drinker, that’s okay. If you’re a nerd who likes video games or films or other things then guess what that’s okay because you will find your people. Plus everyone is unique in their own way. You may even meet your best friend for life at university or even a potential future partner. Who knows? What’s important is that you are true to who you are. Trust me it will make your university life so much better and easier in the long run. Make the most of those three years because they won’t last forever and soon you’ll be reminiscing about going back to university one day. I know I did when I decided to apply for a masters five years ago. Honestly, you’re going to have a great time especially even more so if you just be yourself.

Anyway, those are my little tips and tricks on how to prepare for uni. I hope they were useful to some of you freshers that are getting ready to go. 

Thank you for taking the time to view my blog and I’ll be back tomorrow with another post. 

See you then. 

Megan x

*This is not a sponsored post*

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