You've Got Into Uni - What Next?

Dear Readers,

I want to continue on from my previous post about How To Prepare For Results Day and talk about the next stage on from getting into your chosen University.

I found that once I knew I was going to uni, I wanted to get myself fully prepared so that come Fresher's week, I was ready to party rather than get organised.

I have created a list of things you can do to ready yourself for university life.

Start Researching:

It's important you start uni armed and ready with the right information. Check your emails regularly as you will be getting sent vital content, such as the timetable of your itinerary for Fresher's week and your University ID. 

I also recommend you write down any passwords you create on one document for uni logins or for your student loan. That way you have all your important information collated on one page. Trust me, it will make life so much easier and you won't be hunting for paperwork or trying to remember the password you had to create over the summer.

Prepare For A Ton Of Emails:

You've got summer off, so take an hour or two out of it to delete any emails you no longer need. Clear all junk folders and create new folders related to either your modules or your course. It will really help when you need to find particular emails and saves so much time in the long run.

Set Up A Separate Bank Account: 

Now this is completely optional but I created an entirely separate account for my student loan and rent. That way, there was no chance that I would dip into that money. It's a great way to be strict on yourself and can prevent any sudden overspending mishaps.

Take Advantage Of Being A Student:

• If you do the previous step involving a bank account then you can choose to get a 1/3 off railcard with Santander when you open a 1-2-3 account. This has been a God-send during my University experience as I commute a lot, particularly in and around Central London. The card is valid as long as you are in higher education so it's best you take advantage of this perk. It makes the train fare feel a little less overpriced.
• Get an NUS card - Discounts and savings are what every student depends on. If it doesn't have some sort of discount on it, then is it really worth it?
• Get Amazon Prime Student - It's a great way to get speedy delivery, perks to your Kindle and Amazon Stick and its great six-month free trial lets you try it before you buy it. After the six-month trial you can cancel the subscription, although I think it has really helped make savings when I buy stuff on Amazon (which is quite frequently might I add).

Get Your Computer Organised:

Chances are you will have a lot of documents on your computer containing work you did at college, so now is the perfect time to give it a spring clean. If you're finding it hard to part with old documents and essay's you worked hard on, save them onto an alternative memory stick or hard drive. That way you have lots of space for all your uni work come September.

I also really recommend that you create a Google account and use Google Docs. I prefer this to using Microsoft Word because of its accessibility. I can edit on my phone too using their apps and it's incredibly convenient that it saves automatically. Those days of pressing the 'Save' button every five minutes are long gone.

Research Your Course:

This is a great time to go through the course module by module as well as semester by semester, as it will give you a better understanding of what kind of things you will learn, what books you will need to read and what assignments you might have. It is also a great way to mentally prepare yourself for the type of work you will be doing.

Look into Uni Societies:

This is an excellent way to see what your uni has to offer. If you enjoy playing a particular sport, or have a love for poetry then joining a society is a great way to find people with similar interests to you. There are lots of social events within societies too so you won't be short of a party or two.

Join Facebook Groups and Course Group Chats:

Facebook is a great way to find people not only in your uni, but also your course. Find the relevant Facebook page and comment what you're studying and whether you are living in Halls of Residence or not. This enables you to connect with people and start making friends before you even start. 

Also, if you know what flat you happen to be in then you might even find your flatmates for your first year. I did this and found my flatmates and also my current close friends. 

Pre-book Fresher's Events:

Before you get over-excited at the thought of Fresher's and book every club night going on at during your first week, I would advise that you talk to people on the Facebook page and see if there are any specific events which you shouldn't miss out on. 

A lot of the events tend to happen simultaneously, so you will probably want to be at the event your course mates are going to. Pick a couple of events scattered throughout Fresher's week. I highly recommend leaving at least a day between each event because chances are you'll be extremely hungover from the previous night.
 
Got a Reading List? Start Reading/Buying the Main Books Now:

You can find a reading list with your course guide or you might find that there are key books you know you will need to get your hands on during your course. I made the rather optimistic/stupid decision to buy 90% of the books on the reading list, thinking that I would be able to plough through a mountain of texts, when in fact I 'dipped' in to them three or four times when I came to writing my essays. 

If you can, use library facilities or buy books cheaply at second hands stores, charity shops and in the used section of Amazon.

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I really hope that this can be of use to anyone who is heading off to University in the coming months. If there is anything you want to ask, then do comment below or get in touch with me via:

Email: 08abradley@gmail.com
Twitter: @alice_bradley2

Instagram: @alice_bradley2  

Stay Sweet,

Alice xx