Advice about uni that your teachers won't tell you... (for anyone feeling curious)

What jobs would hire people with little to no experience?

Be careful in choosing with whom you're going to do group assignments. Those who always take notes during lectures, or super active on seminars are the people you want to have in the group.

What jobs would hire people with little to no experience?

In honour of my fellow TSRians, I'm going to make a massive thread of knowledge for any freshers that will be going to university for the first time. I see loads of people seem nervous/excited, so I hope this knowledge will be helpful .

On flatmates - If you have anything about yourself you want to be known, it's best to get it out early. So for example, if you're not much of a party-goer, or you have certain religious practices, or you're allergic to nuts… whatever it may be, it's best to get it over with & out in the open right at the start when you first meet and greet, it will prevent any awkward revelations in the future.

Regarding flatmates that don't clean up after themselves, you can tell them in a really polite way to clean up, but do not nag them and do not be overly high maintenance because in the end, you'll create way more bad tensions so just be chill about it. If you live in the same flat as a rugby player, you might find the odd plate lying around in the kitchen in my experience lol. But as long as you clean everything thoroughly for the flat inspections, it'll be fine.



If someone takes a splash of your milk or nicks a bit of your butter, just let it go. Don't get me wrong, if it keeps happening consistently then confront people. But if it's a one-off, let it go. When you live with people, s*** happens. Don't overreact because you could end up making enemies with everyone you live with (I've seen it happen with someone who lived in the same halls of residence as myself years back lol).


On books - In my opinion, you don't necessarily need to spend money on books. I guarantee you that as soon as you start your course, lecturers will have a list of many books they "recommend" you to buy. This is probably not necessary because you should be using libraries instead of spending a fortune on books.

If your uni library is any good at all, there should be enough books to cover whatever modules you're doing. Also, particularly if you're doing a STEM or business degree, use online research databases like sciencedirect.com. This is because you will save so much time on researching whatever topic. All you have to do is use your uni login for access to it, and then use the search bar to find tons of studies related to the topic you want. These online tools are particularly good because you can find very up to date research.

Now if you still want to buy some physical books to keep for years to come, I recommend you buy second hand because they are so much cheaper. I easily spent a lot of money in my first year of uni on new books initially, before I changed strategy within a few months and looked at second hand books on Amazon. Occasionally, you will find some good quality, second hand books at amazingly cheap prices on Amazon (like 90%+ cheaper than the brand new equivalent). Sometimes it's because the person selling it just doesn't need the book anymore. Just make sure you buy from sellers with good ratings.


On studying - Have a revision timetable for work you do outside lectures because you'll be more efficient this way since you're specific and have some direction about what you're doing that day.

Have daily goals of what you want to study. Uni is an amazing opportunity to have freedom to really work exactly how you like, so use that flexible schedule and be really consistent from the beginning because it sets the tone.


On social life - Societies are cool because it's a decent way to meet people with similar interests and make friends. But don't join too many because you'll spread yourself thin. You'll need some free time for yourself after all.

In my opinion, nightclubs are massively overrated. There will be a lot of hype from club promoters trying to sell you s***. They'll be knocking on the front door of your flat to sell club tickets, pushing flyers in your face when you're walking outside the students' union and creating a million Facebook groups to promote and such. In my opinion, you can go out during the first few weeks as a fresher, but after that you probably won't see anything that amazing.

You'll end up spending a fortune on over-priced drinks that are 300% inflated, entry tickets, taxis and fast food. The money you spend will add up very quickly, so use it on far cheaper forms of entertainment. You could just watch Netflix or go to the gym for example.


If you have anything to add or any more questions on 1st year, please post and I'll try to answer as best as I can!

On books, is buying a slightly out of date edition (for law) detrimental?

How did you decide what uni, living accommodating and course you were going for.

Also what type of thing do you write in your personal statement? xx

This sort of covers group stuff too but just in general:

Get INVOLVED with your course

Most courses will have a student:staff rep in each year. Quite often it's impossible to recruit them so if you can VOLUNTEER. The job is pretty easy - usually means sitting in one 3 meetings a year but it means you get to add something really positive looking to your CV AND you can actively improve things on your course. Plus if you get involved in course validations and similar then you'll often be paid for your time served on committees and meetings and get to make good contacts within your subject.