Forgetting the essentials
Packing everything you need to survive for a year into one suitcase can seem like a daunting task, so it is perhaps inevitable that some things will be forgotten.
Yet there are some items – like pants or your ID – that you really need to remember to take (if only to avoid embarrassment).
Bringing pointless things you don’t need
By the same token, don’t pack every single thing you own into the back of your parents’ car, in the hope that you might use it one day.
Not only will it clog up space in your student box room, there’s also the chance it will make you forget something that’s actually important.
Trust us – if you’re an English student you really won’t be needing your secondary school geometry kit. Honest.
Not getting camera-happy
No, let’s actually put the selfies to one side for a min. We’re talking about papping your accommodation when you move in. Whether university halls or private accommodation it’s important to check over your room for any faults or damage.
While it’s tempting to ditch the admin work for later, failing to document problems already in the property could leave you with a heavily depleted deposit when you move out.
So take a good hour soon after you arrive to go through your inventory and note down any faults – however small – and take picture or video evidence!
Worrying about next year’s housing too soon
The majority of universities in the UK only offer accommodation for the first year (besides you’ll probably be sick of the 3am fire alarms by then!).
Don’t panic though! You will not be homeless next year.
The first step is to carefully decide who you want to live with (for at least one whole year). It’s easy to make friends in your first term but for
your future sanity, take some time to work out who your long-term friends could be.
When the big
housing hunt frenzy starts in the New Year (still quite early!), stay calm and don’t rush into signing anything without being 100%. Time is always on your side (perhaps unless it’s the following summer).
Hiding in your room and not coming out
When you first move into a new abode, and there’s strange people aplenty wandering around, it can be tempting to drag your boxes into your room, bolt the door and never see the light of day again.
But, the fact is, you’re going to need to make friends and you need to live with these people for a whole year. Moving in is also the ideal time to bond over boxes, ironing boards and kettles too.
So prop open that door, turn on the Bob Marley and offer them a beer. Or a brew. Or just a cold water.
Upsetting the neighbours
It’s going to happen at some point. In the student haze of late-night partying and stumbling home at 4am, it’s all too easy to forget there are other humans living around you.
We all know what a screaming drunkard sounds like, and often you’ll be the one facing it whilst burning the midnight oil to finish an essay for the following morning deadline.
So don’t make the mistake of upsetting the neighbours, it will come back to haunt you!
Throwing away your boxes
Aside from being a massively big excuse to get another picture of a cat on this list, seriously, don’t throw all those boxes out!
Chances are you’ll have to move again next year and if you’ve thrown all your boxes out then what are you going to put all your things in?
Sadly storage companies don’t really approve of massive piles of stuff.
Attending every single freshers’ event
Now, don’t get us wrong, we are familiar with the phrase “go hard or go home”, but you know, sometimes sleep is pretty darn good.
Freshers’ week is billed as one of the most exciting, memorable weeks of your life. And it probably is. So understandably, it’s tempting to want go to every single event on offer.
Yet aside from leaving you cashless for the rest of the term and with a serious case of the
freshers’ flu, dragging yourself to every party going will not only take the fun out of the events you do want to go to, but is also completely unnecessary.
We pinky-promise you’ll still make friends even if you do miss the odd event, and you’ll feel so much better for it.
Ignoring the non-drinking events
While it would be a complete lie to try and tell you that freshers’ week has nothing to do with alcohol, it’s far from the be and end all of organised activities.
Universities host a whole range of events to help welcome you to your new home, from local sightseeing and town tours to supermarket trips and film marathons.
Not only are they often really useful for discovering your new surroundings, it’s also a great way of making friends you’ll actually remember the morning after.
Signing up to every single society
Admittedly, if they have an underwater hockey society at your university you should totally check it out, but while university is all about trying something new, you defo shouldn’t sign up for everything going.
Scribbling your name down at every stall at your freshers’ fair can end up pretty costly in joining fees, particularly when you decide it’s not really for you after one session. You’ll also find yourself with more society newsletters in your inbox than you ever knew existed.
Think about the fantastic options that interest you, then pick a select few you think you’d actually be committed to attending. There’s a much greater chance you’ll actually see them through.
Thinking you have to hang out with the first person you meet, forever
You’ve probably had everyone telling you that you’ll meet your friends for life at university. Many freshers thus find themselves engulfed in a wild panic after apparently having not discovered these special people just a few days in.
We’re not telling you to sit in your room like a hermit, by any means, but there’s no need to think you have to stay attached to the first friendly person you meet forever more.
Though many great friendships are made in the first few weeks, many, many more are made throughout the year and there will be plenty of opportunities to meet your future soul-mates.
Ditching your parents at the door
The desire to appear cool in front of potential mates and love interests might be huge, but don’t forget who drove you halfway across the country and changed your nappies all those years ago.
Even if they’re holding their cards close to their chest, the chances are they’re feeling pretty emotional (happy or sad) that you’re finally flying the nest.
Perhaps you can bribe your parents into a nice meal out before they leave – besides, it’ll probably be the last decent thing you eat all week. This will give you a chance to say a proper goodbye and if you can muster it, a quick thank you. These little gestures will make you feel better and reduce any
homesickness.
Leaving everything until the night before
You never did it at college. You never did it at secondary school. Heck, you never even did it at primary school (did you?).
So why is it that the minute even the most conscientious students get to university, all sense of planning goes out the window?
Contrary to popular belief the best time to finish that essay is not 3am the morning it’s due. Somewhat unsurprisingly we can reveal that a little forward planning can help improve your grades and decrease your stress levels.
It will also give you an amazing sense of smugness as you head off to bed while your flatmates are just about to get cracking.
We’re aware this still won’t have converted you all, so just make sure you bookmark our guide to
essay writing in a day too.
Not backing up your work
You’ve heard it millions of times before from your college teachers, unfortunate friends and perhaps even your pet goldfish, but backing up your work at university level is
really, really important!
As we’ve already mentioned, students have a bad habit of leaving things until the very last minute and your computer crashing at the wrong moment can turn a stressful situation into a truly horrendous one.
It’s worth noting too that there tends to be zero flexibility on university deadlines so suck it up, invest in
a flashdrive and sign-up to some free online storage sites like
Dropbox or
Skydrive.
Racking up massive library fines
Yes, books are undoubtedly good. They are an essential tool in defeating your essays and assignments, and you should take full advantage of them. Just make sure to always return them on time.
Without your mum nagging that you really should give those books back, it’s easy to let them gather (expensive) dust in the corner under your bed.
Late fees can quickly mount up into the tens and hundreds, and could even end up
costing you your degree which definitely isn’t worth putting off the walk to return them!
Leaving your referencing until the end of the essay
It’s probably fair to say that referencing is everyone’s least favourite part of an essay, but trust us on this one – write your reference list as you go along.
No one, and we mean no one, wants to be awake at 4am on deadline day wondering where the hell you found that obscure quote on alcohol drinking in the thirteenth century from.
Spending more time on colours than notes
Yea, we know, colour coding your notes and similar such “incentives” can seem like a really productive and engaging way to spend your time.
But we all know, deep deep down, there comes a point where you’re lying to yourself and your notes and you just need to put the highlighters down and get on with some actual work.
If you must know, we’ve got a guide to
better note taking too. We said put that highlighter down!
Sleeping through your lectures
We love sleep too, but the harsh reality is that you came to uni to learn, not get a cheeky nap in a bed that’s probably falling apart anyway.
If you haven’t quite perfected your morning after survival routine yet, then save your sanity and only go out on nights when you can lie in guilt free.
Putting your colours in with your whites
Yes, it sounds like something your mum would say and yes, laundry is expensive, but unless you want your designer clothes to suddenly undergo a traumatic makeover, then don’t skimp on the washing skills.
Always divide your washing into coloured and white washes at the very least and take care to note the recommending washing temperatures. And stick to them.
Setting off the fire alarm at 3am
At some point in the term you’re going to become everyone’s least favourite person as you attempt to cook something in the early hours of the morning.
So, save yourself from hours of abuse now, and if you’re the kind of person that gets the munchies after you’ve been out stock up on some fodder in advance.
Preferably things which don’t need to come into contact with an oven.
Not signing up to the doctor’s surgery
The first time you’re ill away from home will always be a tough experience, with a notable lack of people to bring you hot water bottles and hold the sick bucket.
Being ill without being signed up to your local doctor’s surgery will make things even worse and much harder to get medical advice when you really need it.
Take five minutes when you arrive to suss out where your nearest GP is and sign up. Many will even have stalls at your freshers’ fair so you can do it there and then.
Shopping when you’re hungry
It may seem like a money-savvy idea to hold out until the cupboards are bare, but don’t be fooled.
Shopping on an empty stomach will make you much more likely to impulse buy and grab things you don’t need.
Before you hit the shelves make a list of all the things you need and stick to it, regardless of how enticing that bucket of chocolate mousse looks.
Leaving the dishes until they actually have mould on them
No one actively likes washing up, but trust us (again), you’ll like the consequences of leaving them even less. The same goes for emptying the bins and any other kind of essential cleaning; it’s definitely not fun, but it’s definitely necessary.
And remember, it’s not a game to see who breaks first!
Locking yourself out
It’s well worth making friends with the security guards or your landlord if you’re the forgetful type, as this common mistake can work out really costly.
Keep your keys glued to your person at all times as new sets of keys can cost upwards of £60, and many landlords will charge a call out fee even if you just need to be let in.
If you’re known for being a scatter-brain, get a cheap replacement set cut and give to a friend.
Forgetting to check the use-by-date on food
It’s true that best before dates can be misleading; you’ll often find your potatoes will be just dandy a few days after the recommended date for example.
If the product in question is dairy, meat or fish then always make sure to chuck it when they tell you to or you could find yourself very ill.
Running out of toilet roll (while on the toilet)
Some things are just really boring to buy. Toilet roll is one of them. While no one wants to spend money on something you’re flushing away, it is pretty much a household must.
Save yourself from getting caught short by buying in bulk or setting up a rota with your housemates.
Clogging up the kitchen sink
Out of sight does not equal out of mind when it comes to kitchen sinks. Yes we chose that icky picture on purpose. Even when you want to clean up in rush, there’s no excuse for tipping fat and itty-bitty bits of food down the plughole.
They’ll only return to haunt you later in the day, when you suddenly discover nothing will go down the sink.
While we could suggest bicarbonate of soda, undoing the u-bend or wire coat hangers, it’s probably best you try and avoid this catastrophe altogether.
Never ringing home
You might have started your new exciting life at university now, but that doesn’t mean you should forget the people who helped get you there.
It’s more than likely that everyone at home is missing you and would really appreciate updates on how you’re doing and some reassurance you haven’t forgotten them.
You’ll also have to head home again at Christmas, so it’s not really in your interests to annoy the ‘rents too much.
Pretending you’re not homesick
On the same note, it’s totally okay to feel homesick on occasion, especially when you first move out. Chances are, everyone else is feeling the same.
If you do find yourself with a touch of the blues then don’t think you’re alone.
Taking your mind off the situation is usually the best way to deal with it, so round up some flatmates for some impromptu fun.
We’ve also written a
helpful guide to help you feel more at home when you do move in.
There’s a whole hoard of companies out there claiming to offer the best deal for students, but take caution before accepting their word as fact. This applies to pretty much everything in life, from broadband andelectricity to student bank accounts and clothing.
Always take the time to shop around before committing to anything and don’t forget to weigh up any extra perks they might be offering against real price differences.If you’re feeling particularly brave, have a go at haggling or asking for astudent discount!So we know that freshers’ week is likely to be one of the best weeks of your life, but that doesn’t mean that all the rules should go out of the window!
Fail to budget in freshers’ week and you could find yourself financially ruined for the whole term, which is the complete opposite of fun-times.Set yourself a budget for the week and stick to it. Taking out cash rather than debit cards on nights out can help.Being an eager student certainly isn’t a bad trait to have, but save your enthusiasm for actual studying, as opposed to splurging cash when you really don’t need to.
You’ll often find that university libraries are well stocked with key texts, but if you’re struggling then check out second-hand book stores or hit up university students who are the year above you.More book money saving tips here.You really enjoyed the money from your part-time job at home, so you may well be looking for something similar at university.
Don’t be fooled into thinking it will be an easy ride though; every other student with a taste for pay slips will be looking for exactly the same roles you are.Check out our part-time job search, work out where you’re most likely to succeed and get cracking as soon as possible. Leave it too late and they’ll all be gone no matter how good your skills at wrapping fish and chips are.If you’re really in need of some fast cash, check out these 40 ways to make money.Though overdrafts have become a necessity for students these days, that shouldn’t mean you should throw all caution to the wind. Banks may be giving you 0% interest now, but when you graduate you will have to repay them and there will soon be interest to contend with.
Make sure to budget carefully and take some time to think about how to cut back on any dependence on your overdraft.Consider ways of saving money – this site is full of them – or look into getting a part-time or summer job to help pay it off.Not shelling out for a TV licence when you need one can end up extremely costly and could even land you a session in court.
So if you do plan on watching live TV then take the hit and pay for a licence – you can always claim back for the months you don’t use later.It’s also worth checking the ins and out of it all on the TV licence website.
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