6 TIPS FOR FRESHERS

I wish I was still a fresher.

Last September I wrote a post with a few foodie tips for Freshers and have decided that there is so much more I can share with you young freshers. I've compiled a few tips and tricks that I've learnt over the past four years as a student, to impart onto the next batch of keen-eyed youths. Basically in a nutshell, I'm jealous and want to be a fresher forever. I should probably say at this point congratulations on getting into University! Hopefully it was your first choice, but if not you'll still enjoy it just as much - make the most of it because three years will fly by before you can say 'student loan'.

1. Packing
Oh the joys of packing. If you're a super organised keen bean like me this will be a joyful occasion of list-making and checking boxes. If you're not so inclined, it might seem like a mammoth chore but it honestly isn't. Besides the essentials like clothes and toiletries I would also pack these random items:
-pack of cards
-door stop
-extension cables
If you're up for a laugh, I'd invest in Cards Against Humanity, as it's a hilarious ice-breaker and definitely not PC. If you get to uni and panic that you've forgotten something do not fret young fresher, you're bound to have a supermarket or homeware store round the corner to pick up some last minute supplies. 

2. Join a society
It doesn't matter what society. Sports, dance, singing, acting, shakespeare, paintball, surfing, you name it there's probably a society for it. My uni even had a cocktail society. Although, this might sound way out of your comfort zone, it's a great way to meet people and try something new, so I'd really recommend joining. Or if there isn't a society you like, you can start your own!

3. Renting a house
I was very lucky in my first year in halls to be put with a lovely group of girls who've become my best friends. We're from all different weird and wonderful parts of the country and studied completely different subjects. For me, coming from a small part of Kent, it was nice to get out of the sheltered bubble and meet new people from different walks of life. It gave me a new perspective. Understandably this isn't the case 100% of the time. Sometimes you might be put with a group of people in halls that you just don't mesh with, and that's absolutely fine. My point here is not to rush into renting a house for the next year because you think all the good ones will go. Take your time and think do I really want to live with these people again, do I have a better group of friends elsewhere?

4. Box of Broadcasts
OH MY GOSH I wish I had known about this sooner. Box of Broadcasts is a completely legal website, that is about "teaching and learning with moving image"...you can watch free TV shows and movies. All you do is login with your University logins and boom, watch away. The only downside is not all Universities are signed up, but this will become apparent when you try to login. Fingers crossed yours is on the list. The content has no expiry date and is recorded from TV, so you will have to fast forward through those pesky adverts.  

5. Student discount and Unidays
Use it or lose it. Take advantage of this 10% off, most shops accept a student discount but you can always just ask if you aren't sure. Unidays are great for finding deals but just a quick Google will show you an array of discounts at your fingertips. 

6. Internships
This is optional but I would highly recommend doing a placement year if your uni allows it. A placement year is a year in-between your second and final year, where you complete an internship for a company. It looks so good on your CV and can be really helpful for networking and dissertation ideas. I did my placement year at The Walt Disney Company and it gave me such great experience, alongside meeting some lovely people and working on global projects. Rate My Placement is a great website to search for these opportunities. If you can't take a year out, perhaps three summer long placements in-between each academic year would help you stand out above the crowd.

Are you off to uni in September?