Our Top Five Tips for Your First Year at University

From moving into your student accommodation, to meeting new people, partying, and attending your first lectures and seminars, heading into your first year of university is an exciting time. It’s important to make the most out of this new experience. University doesn’t come with a step-by-step manual, however. It can be a roller coaster of emotions, experiences, and challenges that you can only take as they come. Nonetheless, taking on tips and recommendations can help. With this in mind, Send My Bag has written this blog containing our top tips for your first year of university.

1. Learn to Budget

Generally, living on a budget is something that has to be done at university, as being financially stable is unlikely. One minute you’re thinking ‘I’m rich’, after getting your student loan, and within no time it’s gone and you’re dipping into a student overdraft. There is plenty of help out there when it comes to budget nowadays, from mobile phone apps, to blogs, and social media accounts on student budgeting. To find out more about these, check out our blog on the easiest ways to budget as a student. You will be thankful later down the line if you start budgeting early, as the last thing you want is to have the added burden of money worries when you’re already freaking out about upcoming deadlines.

2. Get Involved

Whether it’s going to social events, introducing yourself to people in your lectures and seminars, or signing up to clubs and societies, make sure you get involved in things from the offset. Friendships are a key part of university – for both fun and moral support! Putting yourself out there and getting involved in things happening at university is the best way to make friendships, and it’s also great for keeping a healthy balance between studying and having fun!

3. Stay on Track

Endless nights out, non-compulsory lectures and seminars, and independent study makes it a lot easier to fall behind on university work, as, unlike school,  you don’t have teachers chasing you for work or pulling you in the right direction. Whilst lecturers teach the course contents, they are not there to make sure you are doing the work or to pull you along.

Slacking behind in first year could have a knock-on effect, so it’s best not to do this! Staying on top of things early on is one way you can deal with stress at university, and means that you’ll not be sitting up the night before a deadline with no idea where to start. 

4. Don’t Overdo It

Whilst it is beneficial to stay on track of your work sooner rather than later, it’s also important to not overdo it. Your fresher year is when you will have the most time and leeway to enjoy the fun stuff university has to offer, so keep a good work-life balance.

You can stay on top of your work by starting off with small steps, from simply planning in advance, to gathering the academic resources that you need, and reviewing lecture notes and organising them as you go along.

5. Work Experience

Although finding a job after graduation is far from your mind during your first year of university, it is better to be prepared for when this does come around. You will find that even entry-level graduate jobs can ask for up to one year or more professional work experience. Some students have the option of undertaking placements as part of their course, but if not you could try to get an internship or voluntary position outside of university, even if it’s only for a few hours per week.

Are you moving away from home to begin your first year at university? Using our student shipping service means that you don’t have to struggle with sending your stuff. Also, you can send luggage back home again at the end of each semester, hassle-free.