How to prepare for university

• Abbie
• 20 July, 2017
• Applying, Student Blogs

The summer after finishing my A-levels was when I truly began to accept the fact that university was a fast-approaching reality. My emotions were all over the place.  One moment, I was a complete bag of nerves; the next, I could hardly wait. One thing I found helped me come to terms with moving away from home was using my spare time over summer to make sure I was as prepared as I could be.

RETAIL THERAPY

It’s a great idea to find out what you should bring with you. A quick Google will bring up a load of student checklists which should have you covered. Visiting shops such as Ikea are great to get all the student essentials at a reasonable price (plus a great day out if you’re a shopaholic like me). Although the lists on the internet cover just about everything you could possibly need, I’ll list a few things that I didn’t think to bring initially, but found to be pretty useful:

• KITCHEN BITS & BOBS – As kitchens are communal areas in most first year accommodations, it’s never a bad idea to bring your share of sponges, dishcloths and washing up liquid.
• CLOTHES HORSE – This might seem like a random suggestion, but unless you fancy paying to tumble-dry all your clothes, it’s a great (and cheap) investment.
• STORAGE – Your first year room will probably be smaller than you’d like it to be with limited space, making it a bit tricky when you bring everything but the kitchen sink with you. I found bringing plastic storage boxes to keep things under my bed or even buying an inexpensive set of drawers helps to keep things organised.
  

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SOCIAL MEDIA

One of the main challenges you will face when starting university is meeting new people. If this makes you nervous, I’d advise heading over to social media. After you’ve accepted your offer, it’s so easy to find Facebook pages to get in touch with future flat mates and course mates. Chatting online to these people should ease the nerves so that when the time comes, some of the many new faces may actually seem familiar. However, don’t be too quick to judge people over the internet – you may speak to people that may not seem like people you’d typically buddy up with, but it can be a completely different scenario when you meet.

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FINAL NOTE

It’s important to bear in mind that with all the preparation in the world, university might still feel incredibly scary. It did for me. Just hold tight, remember why you applied in the first place and get excited – they don’t say it’s the best experience of your life for no reason.

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