Freshers' Guide | the CULTURE VULTURE

Freshers’ Guide 2013

Nathalie Blonder has some advice for new students at universities in Leeds …

As a student who has just completed her first year, I felt obligated to pass on the vast beacon of knowledge acquired through the various ups and downs I’ve experienced. I’d be surprised if anyone wanting to embrace university life hadn’t come across some advice from their family or peers on the subject but you can never really have enough when it comes to starting a new chapter in your life.

So first things first. You’ve picked your uni, you’ve picked your course, all you’re waiting for now is the big move. Whether you’re moving to halls or rented accommodation, or staying where you are at home, it is worthwhile getting the information available as you progress into adult life. The main transition that you will experience is flying the nest, leaving your parents behind and taking hold of your own life. This means cooking for yourself, cleaning after yourself and learning how to be your own shoulder to cry on. It may seem scary, but thousands of young people go through it every year and come out on the other side as thoroughly enriched and capable individuals.

As you prepare to move, you will have to stock up on a number of things. If you can wrangle your parents to help you out with this then take full advantage of it as it shall serve you well all year round. Firstly, I cannot express how invaluable 2KG bags of pasta are – they don’t cost more than a few quid and pasta is ridiculously versatile – if you run out of pizzas, ready meals and other junk then you’ve always got pasta to tie you over. This goes the same for other non-perishables, such as tins that you can buy in bulk. It may be a pain moving heavy goods over to your new place but the resultant aching back is more than worth it.

Despite being an advocate for things that don’t go off, it is so important to be regularly eating healthy fresh food; fruit, nuts, vegetables, cereals, all that. Sorry to sound like your mum, but the need for eating well is vital for two primary reasons: a) You’re going to need the nutrients to ensure that you can study at optimum performance without fatigue and stress, and b) You’re going to need the nutrients to recover from the copious amounts of alcohol you’re bound to consume. In addition to what you put in your mouth, it is necessary to keep active: being on your feet, participating in exercise that you enjoy for 30 minutes or so a day will not only stop you from piling on the pounds, but you’ll also feel so much better in yourself for it

Once you’ve arrived at uni, there are a few things to immediately bear in mind. Firstly, please, just be yourself; putting on a mask of deception that misleads people as to who you are will lead you to befriend people that you are not actually compatible with, which will inevitably end in tears. This includes not changing what you wear, how you look, or how you carry yourself. There’s bound to be people on campus that will like you for who you are, so there really is no need to pretend. Having said this, even if you do find yourself not gelling with people, it is important to get out your room and at least make acquaintances because you’re going to be living with them all year – isolating yourself from others is not a good investment that may leave you as resident pariah. Furthermore, it is imperative to be considerate of those that live around you, that means: not leaving piles of washing up, blasting your music at anti-social hours, or generally just being rude and insensitive.

In a similar vein, I cannot stress how much of a bad idea it is to get into a relationship with someone you’re living with in halls. Oh the tears and bickering and full-frontal fights I’ve witnessed, as well as experienced! Getting with someone you don’t know all that well whilst you’re living with them is just a disaster waiting to happen – in 95% of cases they fail, and will put a huge blemish on the otherwise happy times you will experience at university, (just don’t do it, please, for me?) Besides, there is much more to life than searching for ‘the one’ to make you happy – throw yourself into the fantastic opportunities that are screaming at you for your attention. Make an effort to join at least one society in your first year as you’re likely to make heaps of friends, and gain the various benefits of extra-curricular activities in your day-to-day life.

After being at university for a while, you’ll begin to realise that you have a dwindling bank balance that won’t replenish itself until January. Therefore, it’s important to learn how to budget: set yourself aside a limited amount to spend each week that will allow you to food-shop, and cater to not just your academic needs, but also your social ones. The amount Student Finance give you may be way more or way less than you’re used to but either way you’re going to have to adjust, whether you like it or not. Even if you do find yourself in a sticky financial situation, you’re not always going to be able to rely on your parents to fall back on, you do have a couple of back-up options. The preferred choice is that you search for part-time work, CV in hand, and scour the city and internet for vacancies. You are going to get rejected a lot – it happens – but for every 100 applications, chances are someone will take you on. The other, less desirable choice is to hook yourself up with an overdraft. Most banks guarantee students an overdraft as long as you meet their requirements, I will provide a useful link at the bottom for more information.

Finally, something students often forget is that your university is there for you, not the other way round! There are many facilities available to you and it’d be useful for you in the long run to take a little time getting to know the services that are provided. Your tutors, no matter how busy, will be there at some point to talk to you if you have any anxieties about your course, or anything else for that matter (after all, your tutors are people too!) If ever you find yourself in any trouble whatsoever, please don’t feel like you are by yourself and keep all the stress bottled up inside, swallow your pride and ask for help, there will be someone who is there to help you.

Things to do before you finish first year checklist!!