Starting University? Here’s What You Need to Know
For most, starting university is an incredibly exciting experience. You’ll meet friends for life and gain a sense of independence that will set you up for life. But it’s also quite daunting too, especially when you consider what you’ll need to prepare yourself for the start of term.
Here’s our guide to what you need to know before you start.
Budget
It’s all too tempting to blow all your student loan in the first few weeks of uni, but you’ll thank yourself if your budget early on and go careful with the spend!
Budget in a way that works for you, you can plan your spending by week, by month or by half-term – create pots of spend (i.e. stationery, food, entertainment, etc.) and challenge yourself not to exceed the amounts. Get disciplined early on and it will save you a lot of stress in the longer term. There are some great apps that can help you achieve this, with many banks now offering this service to students also,
Top tip: use your student discount!
Using your student discount will certainly help with your budgeting . . .
To take advantage of your discount you will just need to flash your NUS card when you are in your favourite shops. You will be given this card when you register at your university. The NUS app is definitely worth downloading and offers some incredible savings across the board.
To make the most of your student discount have a read of this super helpful article here, on the ‘Save The Student’ website.
Get organised
As soon as you receive your student timetable make sure you add it to your smartphone calendar.
Remember alarms aren’t just for waking up in the morning. Why not set one 30 minutes before each lecture? This will help you get into a routine.
Keep reading for our essential checklist of university stationery you will need, there are some handy suggestions on there to get your organised.
Starting university stationery checklist
- Diary – Keep your assignment deadlines all in one place.
- Calendar – Markdown half term dates and those all-important exams.
- Blue tac – Handy for sticking up your timetable.
- Pens – Looking for uni-ball pens which write neatly and quickly? Click here.
- Highlighters – You’ll need these when exam time comes around.
- Notebooks – Nothing beats handwritten notes!
- Folders – Ideal for storing important printouts.
We are sending lots of luck to everyone starting uni in the next month or so, enjoy every minute!