Hello everyone!
This is probably a little off-topic for my blog, but I didn't want it to solely be about beauty. Of course, it is mainly about that, but a bit of variety never hurt anyone right? So, I have seen lots & lots of excellent posts with hints and tips for people who may be starting university or even college in the next month, and thought I might as well add my two-penneth worth!
I started university last September, so when I go back, I will be starting my second year. I actually still live at home while I am at university because the uni I go to is close enough to my house for me to drive to everyday. When I told my friends that I was staying at home rather than moving away to a university, many of them thought that I would have less of the "university experience" than I would have if I moved into student accommodation. In all honesty, I was slightly worried that I may feel left out if friends I made were living in the halls of residence while I was still living at home with my parents. In actual fact, nothing was further from the truth. The first point to make is that you are not alone in living at home. I was pleasantly surprised to find that quite a few of the people on my course commuted to university rather than living in. Don't get me wrong there were obviously people living there too, but there were plenty of times when I went to the flat of a few friends that were living in the halls.
Before I started my course, I scoured Facebook to see if there were any groups or pages for people who were starting at the university (the chances are there will be - if not, why not think about setting up a page? There will be plenty of people in the same boat as you). I found a group, and left a post stating which course I was doing and asking if anybody else was doing the same. Before I knew it, there were about 10 people commenting saying they were doing my course! This is a great way to meet people from your course before you start and also to meet flatmates if you are living in university accommodation.
When you actually get to university, don't be shy. I know it's difficult to act confident when you're not, but the chances are people will be feeling as nervous as you, so get chatting to them in the induction sessions for your course, and who knows, you could meet a best friend for life. I know I did this in my induction sessions, and met a couple of people who I now class as some of my closest friends. Another great way of meeting people who may not be on your course is to join a club or society. My university ran a fayre type thing during fresher's week with stalls from all different clubs and societies, ranging from sporting teams to even the Christian society! There really is something for everyone. Fresher's Week is also a good way to get to know people better. Your uni will probably have lots of events organised in the Students Union, so do try and go to them!
Now for the actual work! I've mentioned all the social activities, but it can be easily forgotten that while you're at university, you do need to do some work! Before you start your course, check on your university's online resource to see if there are any particular books you need to buy or read. There may also be a small project to complete before you get there, and it is important to do this as it sets a good impression about yourself to lecturers. As they year progresses, try to keep on top of the workload as it's not fun realising you have three 2000 word essays to write in a week (I'm speaking from experience here!). Try and make good use of the university library too - at my univeristy you generally get to keep the books for a week or two, and you can take out up to 12 books at a time. As my lecturers keep reminding us - the library is part of what you pay your extortionate fees for so make use of it!
So that's just my view! I know this won't be relevant to everyone who reads this blog so apologies if this was no use to you at all!
xx
