Unless you are super organised and strict with yourself, budgeting fails spectacularly. Turning up to your first lecture and being told you need to buy a certain textbook can immediately destroy any well-planned budget and not to mention the damage a spontaneous trip to Greggs or Subway can do to a perfectly planned budget. But who can resist temptation? There are different degrees of budget failure (we’ve all heard the horror stories of those who have gone into their overdraft in Fresher’s week alone), but a budget almost certainly won’t go according to plan.
2. What was your name again?
The amount of people you meet in Freshers Week is overwhelmingly huge and it is pretty much a fact that you will not remember the name of EVERYONE that you met. The name of the girl in the first lecture, the name of guy in the second seminar and name of the friend you made at the introductory talk- you might as well stop trying to remember names, but don’t be afraid to ask again (no matter how many times you have to do it) because they have almost certainly forgotten your name too. Failing that, the chances of seeing all these people ever again are really slim, so don’t worry.
3. Cooking disasters
Food is a great source of happiness and if your cooking skills are rudimentary then you should prepare yourself for some devastating meal time situations. Being equipped with basic cooking skills can be the difference between having severely undercooked pasta and an exquisite carbonara. It’s fine to have just enough culinary expertise to scrape by but, after a while, oven pizzas and microwave meals will lose their charm. Can you really beat a homemade meal? A lot of people would probably agree that eating is far more exciting than cooking food, however, inedible food isn’t fun for anyone.
4. Freshers’ Flu is a nightmare
Before coming to Uni, you had probably heard of Freshers’ Flu but, perhaps, underestimated its power. First things first, Freshers’ Flu is inescapable: even the strongest immune system will eventually be infiltrated. If you think you’ve gotten away with it, just wait. Secondly, most students will agree that Freshers’ Flu should not be taken lightly- it does make you feel really, really awful and this is proven by the soundtrack of people coughing throughout lectures. Annoyingly, being ill is less than ideal when you want to be out and meeting new people, so stocking up on medicine and home remedies before heading to Uni is a really good idea.
5. Bring your whole wardrobe
Do not listen to people when they tell you not to bother to pack all your clothes. Seriously. Not only will some of your weirdest and out of date clothes potentially be perfect for fancy dress, but the weather is unpredictable to say the least. Also, the more clothes you have, the less often you have to do the laundry.