Starting university is a daunting prospect, especially if you haven't ever really lived from home. It is stepping into the unknown, being thrown into a flat with people you most likely do not know and into a routine that is unfamiliar to you. But everyone is in the same boat as you. Freshers week is the perfect chance to mingle and make new friends, especially if you are a fan of going out. Take part in the themed nights out, no doubt you will make fast friends (which always happens when you are drunk, whether you remember them or not the next day is another story). However if you are more like me and not the biggest fan of going out to clubs then do not worry, you can still enjoy your university experience. You do not have to drink to enjoy uni.Take the time finding people who enjoy what you enjoy, go to serendipity, join a society, talk to people on your course. Eventually you will find your 'click'. And if you already know people at your university, great! you will become even closer as you all go through the whirlwind if university together.
There is a big culture behind university, mostly partying and drinking.
With studying and your workload be prepared to be left to your own devices, here it is much more important to be reliant on yourself and to actually be dedicated to your own work. No teacher is going to be chasing after you if you do not do the work so making sure you can step up and be more mature about the whole process is important. If you do not complete the essay you were given chances are your overall grade at the end of the year will not be quite what you wanted. Invest in a planner, a pin board where you can jot down all of your deadlines to keep on top of everything. The best thing I learnt in first year? Do not leave it till last minute, the stress really is not worth it.
As for living on your own, that for me was the scariest part. I would have liked to have thought that before uni I was quite self sufficient but boy was I wrong when I got to uni. Simple tasks like washing the dishes, doing the washing and cleaning became a lot of effort but something that unfortunately needed doing. I somehow actually learnt to cook (kind of) in first year. Bearing in mind my 'cooking' is mostly throwing whatever I have in the cupboard and fridge into a pan, cooking it and then calling it a meal, but it worked I guess. Looking for cheaper finds to what you may have been used to at home will help your student loan go that little bit further, for example buying supermarkets own brand beans instead of Heinz (they taste the same anyway)
Before you know it first year will be over and you will be starting second year (like me) and you will soon realise that the first time around you were lucky with your workload, as trust me it gets heavier. First year may have felt like a breeze but second time around it all counts, so make the most of it.
