Moving away from home to go to university is an exciting milestone. It’s the first time that you experience true independence; you’re in a new place, away from home and living the way you choose without rules or curfews. Despite being legally an adult when moving away to university, most people are actually far less prepared for the move than they think. To make life easier and to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible, here are a few things you can do in advance…
Get your accommodation sorted early
If you’re moving to a new place and will be living away from home, it’s up to you to sort out your accommodation. Don’t leave this until the last minute as places can book up and you’ll end up in the worst student places in the city. Halls are a good option, especially in your first year, as it allows you to mix and mingle with lots of new people and get a traditional university experience. However if they’re not right for you, there are lots of companies and landlords offering student accommodation. Decide if you want to live alone, or share with others.
Save some money
For most people, moving away to university means budgeting for the first time. You’re responsible for paying for your accomodation, your bills, your food and leisure. It’s a well known fact that students are poor, but if you learn to budget properly, and have some money saved to fall back on, then you will certainly make things easier for yourself.
The year before you go to university you could start putting money away. In the summer after you’ve completed your school exams, you could work full time up until the autumn when you leave for university. This gives you a few months of full time wages to put away and have as a safety net.
Start packing and organising in plenty of time
Don’t wait until the night before you’re due to leave before you start throwing things into bags and cases. In the weeks leading up to moving away, have a list of everything you’re going to need and start purchasing and packing it. There are lots of lists of items you’ll need online, from study equipment to storage for your room to kitchen stuff, toiletries and much more. The last thing you want is to end up in a new place without the things you need, so be prepared.
Learn to cook
You might think you can get by when it comes to cooking, but do you still rely on your parents home cooked meals multiple times a week? Are you really able to feed yourself without any outside help? Beans on toast, sandwiches and ready meals will only get you so far.
As a student, it’s well worth teaching yourself a number of tasty, healthy and cheap meals before you go away to fall back on. A big bag of pasta or rice could be prepared lots of different ways. Don’t forget meals that include vegetables and healthy ingredients to give your body everything it needs. Get yourself a student cookbook, and practice some of the recipes in advance.
Do you have any tips to share for new university students? Tell me in comments!
*This is a collaborative post.