Things you wish you had known before starting university

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Reply 80

Aurora.

Original post by Antifazian

Your attitude will probably change once you actually get to uni, sorry.

Mine didn't :confused:

Reply 81

Antifazian

Original post by Aurora.

Mine didn't :confused:

yay?

Reply 82

notastampcollector

The answers to all the problem sets.

Reply 83

Steviexo

so glad i found this thread! <3

Reply 84

natalieann1993

If someone doesn't invite you to a party its not the end of the world.

theres thousands of more people who will probably invite you to another party.
your not a loner.
chill the hell out and stop booking your train tickets home.

(if i only i knew then what i knew now.)

Reply 85

infernalcradle

don't feel you have to go out every night or with your flatmates just because they are going out if you have loads of work/very early start next day/simply can't be bothered....just say no :biggrin:

Reply 86

username291885

Speak to more people sooner. I spent the first year or so in the first friendship group I made, but since I started talking to more people on my course/through friends I've had more fun. Even my girlfriend was a friend of a friend.

Reply 87

indiemusicftw

Knowing you'd come out of first year of uni having lost your virginity slept with 10 plus girls is a lie...in fact it's true for most people in your uni and you'll gradually think lol wut ...as more boring people who make less effort seem to get an easy pull while your firmly on the zero number...meanwhile you spend more money on a girl on a date which leads to nothing and costs as much as a prostitute would :P!
Not revising for an exam in first year and completely forgetting about it can still get you a grade of 70% :P.
Second year...no you won't work hard in fact you'll go out even more than first year..yet still scrape an A up somehow.
Never dreamt you'd touch chav cider...then you run out of your student loan.
Spaghetti bolognase will end up being your primary food source ..during the last few weeks of terms when you have 50 quid in your bank account :P.

Reply 88

Vitamin D

Original post by Charlieee_

what? everybody struggles for money at uni (well almost everybody), everybody talking about how badly their into their overdraft is a big sharing experience

I wondered about this one too! I have a few hundred in my bank account, but all of my flatmates have way more than me - nobody cares :dontknow:

As long as you have enough to afford the essentials, it's no big deal.

Reply 89

JJx

1. Don't mix lambrini, bulmers and shots. It will not end well
2. You will meet some amazing people and make some great friends :smile:

3. Living at home does NOT affect your social life (as long as you find a friend who'll let you crash on their floor (or in their bath......)
4. You can start revising as early as possible but you will stillhave a very stressful few days before your exam.
5. All-night bakery. BEST THING EVER.
6. Drunken guys in the union are dicks. Run away and don't accept drinks because they will assume this means you want to sleep with them.

Reply 90

alexss

1. Accept that it's knowing things that matters, not knowing the course specification. There's no such thing as blagging a tutorial, not handing stuff in, throwing a sickie etc. You miss the deadline on something, it's your fault.

2. Learn to cook properly from scratch. It's cheaper and healthier than anything you can buy in a packet.

3. Familiarise yourself with the Value/Smart Price/Basics etc ranges. There is no difference between 3 for 79p Value peppers and £2 peppers.

4. Make an effort with everyone you meet, both in Freshers and the rest of the term. It pays off!

5. Do not let someone feed you neat vodka through a funnel while sat on a spinning computer chair. This one is the most important.

Reply 91

snowydog

Make an effort to be friends with people from the start.

I had two friends with me who both eventually dropped out after the first few months - I found myself isolated right up until this year (final year) ... I'm enjoying final year a lot - but I dreaded starting back after my placement year because I felt I didn't know many people ... but now, although I don't go out with them, I get along well in class and I'm sad its going to end in June... so I wish I had of made friends sooner!

Reply 92

riotgrrl

Try to figure out the difference between what you want, what you think you "should" do and what everyone else wants you to do. You'll regret not listening to your gut instinct.

Reply 93

imy7

Original post by hash007

I guess freshers week is pretty **** then if you don't drink alcohol? It seems everyone just gets drunk :sigh:

I'm sure it'll be just as good for non-drinkers! As long as you join in as much as possible, the atmosphere will probably be amazing and you wont even notice a difference! (other than the fact that you will be one of the few not chundering all over the place) :smile:

Reply 94

imy7

Original post by tea_loving_girl

1. It'll all be alright. You can handle everything that is thrown at you.

2. Don't panic if you are not a massive party animal/drinker etc. That isn't the be all and end all of university life. Don't make a big deal about it. Just be yourself and don't do anything you are not comfortable with. Anyone who tries to force you to do anything you don't feel like doing isn't going to make a very good friend. Just talk to people and relax around them.

3. Make your room feel like yours with photos, trinkets etc., it'll help you relax more.

4. Stay positive and smile. And don't rush home the first time something goes wrong or you get home sick, in fact, if possible stay away from home for the first 4-6 weeks. It'll make you a stronger person to work through it.

5. Remember all the reasons you are at uni in the first place. Go to lectures, do work on time and get into a good routine. It'll pay off in the latter years immensely and actually give you far less panic/stress and more time to relax and enjoy yourself.

6. Don't talk about your money situation EVER. It's no one else's business and can lead to many problems. When you have been friends for a couple of years maybe, but in first year don't do it.

It's your life and you should live it your way, but that goes for everyone else too. Don't be judgmental of other peoples choices but except them as they are.

Always stay true to yourself so the friends you make love you for just being you and not for some bravado act.

Have fun and take care xxx

Firstly, amazing advice thanks!
I was just wondering why you say number 6?? It sounds like a good point and I can understand why you wouldn't want to, but have you seen/had any personal experiences? whats so bad about talking about it?

Thanks again :smile:

Reply 95

Vitamin D

Original post by JJx

1. Don't mix lambrini, bulmers and shots. It will not end well
2. You will meet some amazing people and make some great friends :smile:

You aren't in Dundee, by any chance? :tongue:

Reply 96

tea_loving_girl

Original post by imy7

Particularly in first year a lot of people are always in their overdraft, if your not they may see you as someone they can borrow money off as you are clearly better off... In first year you tend to be still learning how to manage money and I have seen naive people be taken advantage of lending money to careless friends or being whispered about because they by value or don't go out as much or that they must be from a rich family. People are still growing up during first year and other people's immaturity towards money and extravagant luxuries can lead to less well off students trying to compete and getting themselves into hot water because they are careless. I've seen that too. In halls there were some quite nasty pieces of work and money should never be a motive for friendship.

After a year or two when you have solid friends then asking advice etc is fine. I am from a poorish background and overly careful. I have friends from all backgrounds, whom I made friends without knowing there financial situation. Because of that we are stronger friends. One inherited a lot of money last year and bought a house with it, which she asks me to live in rent free. Purely for my company and as a favour for helping her through several difficult times using whatever resources I could (buying little lintt bunnies at easter and hiding them in her cupboards with positive notes when she was suffering with depression and anxiety). This is only possible we have never made money an issue nor really a topic for communication.
My other best friend is worst off than me, and more careless. But again it was never an issue.

The advice is based on what I see, hear and have experienced.

Hope that helped. Enjoy uni, I am overly sceptic of people interested in my financial situation. Probably because I am (and was) genuinely naive about people in first year and had to learn quickly.

Good luck with everything :smile:

Reply 97

JJx

Original post by Vitamin D

You aren't in Dundee, by any chance? :tongue:

Yep

A night out isn't over till you've been to the bakery right? :wink:

Reply 98

woahnonow

I graduated this year and honestly, the thing that sticks out in my head the most about my uni experience is that I wish I had been more involved in everything - from the social to the academic. I was quite involved in two societies (a sports one and an academic one), partied a lot and did try to take advantage of all the academic extras like guest speakers coming in, student debates, student elections etc. If I could go back, I wouldn't laze around in my room with friends doing NOTHING/WATCHING TV to procrastinate as much. I would get out there and get stuck into everything uni has to offer.

These last 3 years FLEW by for me and I feel like I literally blinked and it all went away.

I have so many amazing and wonderful memories of nights out, fun lectures and fun campus events but I wish I could've experienced more because I know it was definitely possible for me to have experienced more.

To keep it brief and less waffley: just enjoy every part of the uni experience, from halls to lectures to partying. Sure uni isn't amazing 110% of the time but when you leave, you will miss it. It's such a unique opportunity and there's so much freedom... trust me, when you leave, all you remember are the good times so make sure you get your hands on as much of the goods times as possible while you're there and don't miss out! :smile:

Reply 99

BethanW

Do not have sex with any of your flatmates. I repeat: DO NOT HAVE SEX WITH ANY OF YOUR FLATMATES. If you become particularly friendly with the flat next door/above you etc, that goes for them too.

It hardly ever works out and it makes things very, very awkward not just for you, but also for the people you live with.