Before You Arrive: Pages

Join your freshers’ group chat. You’ll be able to find these on Facebook - there are usually chats for your year in your college, your course, and even your entire year group. Obviously these can get pretty hectic, and you might end up putting them on mute when a hundred messages about whether or not you can have a toaster in your room come through (p.s. you probably can’t), or how much of the summer work everyone has done. But it’s always handy to be a part of these to stay in the loop, especially during freshers’ week!

Take advantage of every deal or discount. Setting up a student bank account before you arrive will save some time in freshers’ week. Different banks offer you different incentives, from railcards to cash to overdrafts, so look around to find whichever one works best for you. It’s always handy to have a StudentBeans and a UNiDAYS account to get yourself a discount, and maybe a 16-25 Railcard or other student subscriptions such as Amazon Prime or Spotify. Oh, and get yourself a Tesco clubcard (thank me later).

Register! Your college will most likely send an email out about this, so direct any questions their way. This includes accommodation and getting yourself a BodCard (used to access lots of the university buildings).

Pack (some of) your worldly belongings. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been watching ‘studytuber’ videos about this for months, choosing a colour scheme, and planning your big trip to Ikea. What’s more exciting than home decor? But please remember that everything that goes into that room, also has to come back out - usually three times a year. Although it’s pretty much a given that you will overpack, you don’t want to be cursing your past self when you have to make seven trips to the car park in order to empty your room. For a handy guide on what you should v pack, check out page 6.

If your cooking would make Gordon Ramsay cry, do not despair. Most colleges offer catered options, 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, in hall. However, the quality of that food may vary, especially if you have certain dietary requirements, and so you might prefer to cook for yourself. A lot of first year accommodation won’t have cooking facilities and, if it does, they’re usually shared and pretty basic. You can ask your college what facilities are available, and bring some cooking equipment if necessary.

CATERED

+It ’ s quICk and easY! Plus You don ’ t run the rIsk oF gettIng Your Pasta stuCk to the Bottom oF the Pan ... +It ’ s usuallY quIte reasonaBlY PrICed +meals are BalanCed , healthY , and usuallY tastY! You Won ’ t have to eat Instant noodles everY daY +hall ProvIdes a great oPPortunItY to soCIalIse , esPeCIallY In the FIrst FeW Weeks -You mIght have to Book In advanCe and , IF You mIss the hall sIttIng or BookIng WIndoW , You have to go elseWhere For Food -sometImes oPtIons are lImIted or Can Be rePetItIve

SELF CATERED

+You Can Choose What You eat (WIthIn the sCoPe oF Your CulInarY skIlls) +It Can Be CheaPer than hall , esPeCIallY IF You Cook In Bulk -CookIng FaCIlItIes are oFten quIte lImIted , and Your shared kItChen maY get BusY -aFter a long daY In the lIBrarY , You mIght not Want to sPend tIme CookIng

Ultimately, do what works best for you! For some quick, easy, budget-friendly recipes, check out page 31!