Tips To Help You Settle Into University

• 09 May, '16
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For a lot of students, going to university is the first time they are away from home. Sure you might have gone on a few trips or spent a bit of time abroad away from your parents, but most students have never lived away from their parents before going to uni.

When you arrive in the first weeks you have to get used to the uni way of life and pick up tips from other students. You will gradually learn the ropes and settle into the university lifestyle. However, you may not feel settled right away, it might take a while for you to feel comfortable with your new living situation.

After being looked after by your parents, completely going it alone can seem a little daunting. Your parents won’t be around to cook for you or do your laundry, you have to brave the real world and figure everything out for yourself. Here’s some helpful tips to enable you to settle into university life.

Home comforts

If you want to settle quickly, then don’t forget your home comforts. Bring a decent dressing gown with you as well as some cosy slippers for when you're wandering round uni halls or your student house. You might also want to bring things like a mattress topper (mattresses in halls are notoriously uncomfortable), a warm blanket and a few of your own pillows.

Stash your goodies

One thing you will soon learn when you get to uni if you live in shared accommodation, is that everyone steals each other’s food. It might sound a bit OTT keeping your own stash in your room, but it’s definitely worth it if you want to stop people eating all your goodies.

Mini fridge

You will quickly discover that there is hardly any room in your shared fridge. You will probably only have room for essentials. So if you want to keep those beers cool or keep your milk away from your housemates then you might want to invest in a mini fridge.

Flip flops for the shower

This one’s for those living in halls mainly, but also shared houses if your housemates don’t keep on top of cleaning. Sometimes shared showers can be a bit gross. If you want to avoid stepping barefoot into a shared shower you should bring some flip flops.

Double your wardrobe

You may not be blessed with an enormous wardrobe in your uni room, so saving space is important. A clever way to expand your wardrobe is to loop the ring pulls from fizzy drinks cans over hangers which enables you to double up by hanging another hanger from it.

Purchase or bring a warm hoodie

Students mostly live in oversized hoodies and jeans, and sometimes even sweatpants or trackies. Bring a warm hoodie with you to get you through the winter, it will keep you nice and warm on lazy days. Or purchase a university branded hoodie if you want to fit right in.

Fans and hot water bottles

You won’t have air conditioning in the summer if you are staying in budget accommodation, so you may want to bring a fan to keep you cool. Students will often try and save money in the winter by not turning the heating on so bring a stash of hot water bottles to keep you cosy.