Moving Out to Go to University: The Essential Guide The most important tips for freshers leaving home for the first time.
Learn to cook You might not believe it now, but one of the things you’ll miss most about living with your family is the food. Takeaways seem great to start with, but you’ll quickly eat through your cash. And you’ll start feeling less healthy too. Start by bulk buying some basic foodstuffs which will keep: rice, pasta, spices etc. Learn some classics like chicken curry and spaghetti bolognaise to begin with. You can use jars at first, but after a while you might want to try making your own sauces. Getting a group of friends to each take a turn cooking for each other is a great way to get into cooking.
Make your new place feel like home While at first everything will seem like a pretty tremendous adventure it’s likely that you’ll feel homesick at some point. To try to lessen this and to help you feel settled in your new surroundings it’s good to take plenty of things with your from home. You could take mementoes, ornaments, bedding, books, furniture etc. And if you’re worried it might be too expensive to get it all there, it might be and idea to recruit a few friends with cars or rent a van. If you actually want to pass your course and get a good degree it might also be a good idea to set up a nice organised, quiet area for yourself to study.
Learn to manage your money It’s really common for students to make a mess of their finances when they first move away from their family; there are loads of nights out to go to and student offers which seem like really good deals. The first thing to do is figure out your budget then stick to it. It’s also very important to keep track of what you’re spending and where you’re spending it. Using your debit card to pay for things can help as online current accounts will show you where you’ve been spending your cash. If you start to have real money problems speak to someone from the University, they often have hardship funds available for students with money problems.
Make friends One of the best things about University is that you’ll get the opportunity to make loads of new friends with similar interests. Try not to be shy; just talk to people in the first couple of week and you’ll be making new friends in no time. Remember the vast majority of them will be in the same position as you; in a new place, on a new adventure and very keen to make new friends. And don’t forget it’s not just other students you can make friends with; make an effort with your lectures and the University staff too. Being on good terms with them can make life run much more smoothly.