Survival Tips All Students Need to Know

So, your bags are packed (or at least they will be a couple of hours after you were meant to leave the house), you’ve bought your books and it’s almost time to make the journey to university for the first time. That’s all you really need to know, right?

If only it was that easy being a student! For many, it’s also the first time living away from home, which means you have more challenges to face than just meeting new people and trying to make it to a 9am lecture on time.

You have to deal with money – beyond just covering your round at the bar – food shopping, laundry and a lot more time management.

You may think it’s going to be a breeze and it can be, so long as you’re prepared.

You may be used to spending most of your free cash on nights out and new clothes, but now you’re living away from home you also need to budget things like food and toiletries. Eating and being clean are pretty essential, so make sure you’ve planned enough money for these and try not to blow your first student loan payment on a whole new wardrobe.

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After all, that expensive new white top might look good when you first buy it, but after 5 minutes in the Students’ Union there’s a good chance it will be stained by brightly-coloured beverages or body paint from a giant rugby-playing Smurf anyway.

It can be tempting to save all your washing until you go home to visit the parents, but this can mean you end up with nothing to wear except that fairy princess dress you wore to the pub that time. Do yourself a favour, save your change and use it to do laundry when you get a chance – even if you do need to call your mum to ask how the washing machine works.

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The problem with sharing a flat with loads of people is that food and toiletries can vanish pretty quickly. It’s part of communal living that you can expect to wait for the shower and things will go missing from the kitchen. It’s a good idea to keep anything particularly special in your own room. If you really want to avoid the whole ‘I thought it was mine’ argument, you can put your name on everything from your milk to your shower gel. Be aware that this is the university equivalent of your mum writing your name into your coat though.

There’s nothing worse than going to the toilet and finding that a housemate has used all the toilet paper without replacing it – or that they’ve left two squares on the roll so they technically don’t have to. Save yourself from getting caught short and stick a stash in your room just in case. It might seem silly, but when the time comes you’ll be glad of your emergency supply!

Whether there’s a theme night in town or you and your friends just want to dress up, fancy dress is a big part of uni life. While you’ll probably find a costume shop close by, kitting yourself out every time can get pricey. Save yourself some cash by keeping anything that can be used for a costume – even if it’s just a big cereal box. Homemade costumes are far more fun anyway!

You may think you’re going to be healthy eating at uni, but there will be far too many nights when a kebab looks like a good idea, so make sure you scope out the takeaway with the best deals. If you can make friends with those who work there, it’s even better as you could get a few freebies. You’ll be surprised at how long a cold 15’ pizza can last you (although do try and keep it in the fridge at least…).

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This is a top tip that you’ll be grateful of when you’re down to £30 for your last 4 weeks of term; find the cash machines that give out £5 notes. Most ATMs only give 10 or 20 pound notes, but around student towns you’ll often find a machine that will dole out fivers. It’s worth the extra walk to make that money stretch further!

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Everyone loves beans on toast every now and again, but you should at least try to cook yourself a proper meal occassionally. We all have plenty of silly questions when we have to start cooking for ourselves regularly – does tinned tuna need to be cooked first? How do I cook pasta? What does ‘simmer’ mean anyway? – so get some of the basics down before you move into your new halls. And remember, parents are only a phone call away!