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So that time is coming upon us, for most students, fresher’s week is little more than a month away. Checking my facebook news feed, it is easy to see that most students who have a confirmed place at university starting in September are quite literally freaking out! Although the main concern seems to be about kitchen utensils and which fresher’s wristband to buy rather than academic study. So here is my guide, the countdown to university…

What you should be doing now.

Preparing as much as possible to get the things you’ll need before you go. Since you will inevitably be broke in the later terms, use your pre-student finance income to buy as many supplies as you can now. That means cleaning products, food staples, a year’s supply of stationary, any high tech gadgets that will cost more than your whole food budget for the year put together and importantly books…which brings me onto my next point.

 

Try to locate a reading list.

These are not always easy to come by. Sometimes they will be available on the university’s website and you can prepare in the summer, other times you won’t know until you arrive in September and then have to splash your loans on books then. You could try contacting the university to get a head start before term begins if you think you will benefit from reading(and buying!) in advance. Remember, don’t just buy costly books new. Check online for good quality second hand books or maybe try buying them from second and third year students who may have the books you need and are willing to sell them to you at a discount price.

 

Joining your uni Facebook groups/ chatting to fresher’s on thestudentroom.co.uk.

This is a great way to get to know people on your course/in your halls before you even begin university! You can make friends this way and it helps minimize those awkward ‘getting to know you’ ice breaker moments because you can learn what you have in common and general details beforehand.

Many uni’s now operate online self enrolment prior to attending in person. Make sure you do this step as it’s very important.

 

Enjoying your free time.

As important as it is to be prepared for university, remember to relish your free time now before you commit yourself to three years of full time study. Catch up with your friends, travel, read for fun, catch up on all your favourite TV shows and brace yourself for one of the most life changing experiences being just on the horizon!

 

Avoid the pitfalls.

Yes, it has to be said that there are a lot of scammers out there, promoting wristbands that claim to get you into everywhere, when really they have very little use. Avoid self interested promoters and stick to buying official Student Union wristbands and tickets as you can guarantee that these will get you into all the official events.

Most importantly enjoy yourself. Have a blast in fresher’s week, join societies, see what is available to you and make new friends. Once you’ve settled then the serious studying can begin.