Living at home whilst at University can be tricky, and sometimes isolating. Although it bears the huge benefit of saving money, there is a large chance that we will miss out on many social events and activities. After completing my first year living at home, here are a few tips that will definitely help you feel part of the University community!
1) Join a society and go out of your way to be involved. It is easy enough to join a society, but the tricky part is being included, since often these take place after teaching hours, and therefore it makes it trickier to get home. However, by joining a society you will meet like minded people and begin to feel like part of a smaller community.
2) Once connections have been built through a society, many students are more than willing for you to stay round theirs in the evenings. This means you can really become part of a society without the added stress of getting home. Don’t be shy to ask your friends!
3) One of the most important ones is to be willing to stay on campus during the day! It can be tempting after teaching finishes, to just go back home and chill, however whilst your doing this, your friends in London are still going! Message friends after lectures and ask if they want to grab lunch or go to the library, this is a simple way of being involved in University life. If not, studying can become quite lonely and isolating.
4) Be proactive! Always ask people what they are up to and get involved! You may feel like intruding, but everybody is feeling the same way and its lovely for someone to ask you if you want to join them.
5) A practical tip: Get work done on the commute. Although it may seem tricky to get your laptop out on a busy commuter train, it is really worth the effort! Getting those couple of hours of work in frees up time for you to spend around campus with your friends de- stressing.
6) Plan your time- in first year I felt so relaxed with the workload and this is purely down to planning! Get work done ahead of deadlines and keep the weekends free, this way you can enjoy your city and campus!
7) Finance…. Although commuting may not be as expensive as living in London, it still incurs a big cost. Be aware of what you’re spending and budget travel costs so you have that extra to enjoy yourself!
There are definitely perks to living at home too, but these tips should hopefully be useful in showing you how to make the most out of university life! Don’t be shy, be proactive and have fun!