Overwhelmed by all the freebies, Domino’s pizza guys and University intro meetings? Make yourself a cuppa, sit down and read on for our best practical advice…
1. Leave your door propped open when you first move in (preferably with a tin of cookies, but if not a door stop will suffice). It encourages people to pop their head in and say a friendly ‘hello’ or ask if you’ve got some sugar spare.
2. Get the essentials in – and maybe bulk buy the ones that don’t go out of date quickly (or you can always freeze the ones that do). The last thing you want to find after a night out is that you’ve got no bacon left and no milk for that essential ‘pick me up’ cup of tea.
3. Contrary to my previous point, while jumbo size pots of Nutella are great, just keep in mind that certain products are sometimes more expensive to buy in bulk. For example, bulk packets of crisps or washing up liquid can actually sometimes be a lot cheaper to buy in smaller sizes but just simply buy more.
4. In your first few days, get everything unpacked and put away. It’s always a lot easier to find things when they’re in their proper place and not hiding away in a box or suitcase somewhere. You’ll also be able to navigate through your dark room when you get in from a night out without tripping over anything!
5. If you live next to a club, or in my case a University Union, then earplugs are a great investment for those nights you want to get to bed before 3am. Unfortunately, not everyone sounds like Beyoncé or Adele when they’re drunk, despite them really thinking they do.
6. In an attempt to be organised, get everything you need in your ‘going out’ bag a few hours before you start getting ready. This saves you rushing around like a mad woman later when someone unexpectedly shouts that the taxi has arrived! This should include some spare change for your taxi fare, taxi numbers for later, any sexual protection you may need, your photo ID and of course some ‘essential’ make-up no doubt!
7. On that note, if you are going out, then don’t take your cards with you unless you really have to! Cards are your lifeline at Uni and the last thing you want to do is lose those precious bits of plastic! It’s also a great way to help budget as it stops you from making that drunken mistake of buying a round of drinks for everyone on your card, or worse, drawing out even more money!
8. Get all your paperwork done in one go; get those pesky forms filled out and sent off to the doctors and the dentist, and don’t forget to change your billing address at your local bank branch too. It’s like ripping off a band aid: once it’s done, it’s done.
9. Try everything. Sign up to as many society introductions as possible since most societies allow freshers to attend initial welcome meetings for free before then deciding whether or not you want to stay and become an official member – don’t miss HerCampus’s welcome meeting on Wednesday 2nd October at 3pm in Room 4 in the Union! Don’t forget that University is an unique experience so don’t waste the chances that present themselves to you.
10. And finally …don’t forget your keys when you leave the house! There’s nothing worse than having to wake up your new flatmates to let you in at 4am during Freshers’ week – not the best way to make friends!
Image Sources:
2. http://goodhumored.wordpress.com/
3. http://www.organisemyhouse.com/top-15-tips-to-get-your-paperwork-organised/