Tips for university | managing a work life balance, budgeting, social life
Allow me to introduce some key aspects of university life, such as schedules, budgets, and social life.
Scheduling: how to manage study and life
As a university student, managing your time falls entirely on your shoulders. Unlike school, university does not have any rigid timetabling system. As such, it may feel very daunting to suddenly schedule everything by yourself. But if you follow these tips, you will find it easy to build a routine.
Developing a routine
You will typically receive your term schedule at the start of the academic year, which provides the times for your classes, exam dates and assignment deadlines. I like to put all those important dates in my calendar, both physical and digital. This way, I will always know what’s coming, and I can focus on each task. I use the default calendar app on my phone, but there are so many customisable apps you can download. These tools will allow you to keep on top of your workload.
Prioritising tasks
After you have created a routine, you can easily highlight important tasks that you think need more attention. This way you can rank everything you have to do in order of importance, and this will allow you to carve out time for your social life. I found that I am mostly busy near the end of my term, so I always plan all my social outings at the beginning. This means I can enjoy social events without panicking about an upcoming assignment or a looming exam.
Social activities
You can enhance your uni experience by partaking in various social events. The best way to make new friends and enjoy your time at university is to join societies. There are countless groups you can join. But if there’s something you’re interested in that doesn’t have a society, you can even create your own. The best part is that most events fall when you do not have a lot of academic pressure.
Budgeting
Another important thing you have to deal with as a student is budgeting, especially if you are not working. Knowing how much money you have, either from your student loan or savings, is key to budgeting. You can then calculate how much you need weekly for necessary purchases. After all your needs are taken care of, you can allocate spare funds for fun stuff. Personally, I use a budgeting app called GoodBudget, which really helps me track my expenses.
You can also take full advantage of your student ID card and sign up for student discounts across a variety of stores. You can also sign up to get a Totum Card, which gives you frequent student deals, saving you money.
These tips will help you to settle into university life, and with a little practice, it will be smooth sailing for you. Best of luck!
If you need help with university life then do check out the support services at your university!
Reply 1
May I also take a moment to share my top tips as a Bath grad who has been there, done it and got multiple tee shirts?
Top Tips for Managing University (according to a former student-turned-staff!)
1.
Create a colour coded google calendar. Input your lectures, seminars, labs/workshops/tutorials, any slots you want to do independent work for each module. Most importantly, make sure you keep at least 2 or 3 free slots per week to fill with things for YOU, such as part time work, seeing friends, going to town, seeing a film, (walking by the lake?) or just relaxing with some music or a book. Don't let yourself burn out
2.
Don't leave your classes with questions, leave them with answers. Uni is a step up in terms of independence but you are absolutely not expected to manage alone. Use your lecturers. Talk to them, ask them for help or advice if there's something you don't understand.
3.
Manage your money by creating a spreadsheet of your income and expenditure. This will give you an idea of how much you spend each week and how much you can save for later. Make use of reduced-price food from the supermarkets, if it is for you, then work part time (student ambassador-ing was my absolute favourite part of my degree!), and share groceries with flatmates/family if you are living at home, set yourself up with a good savings account with a good interest rate, and buy clothes on Vinted etc, take part in experiments by your uni's psychology department for with financial rewards. Every little helps
I really hope that helps, huge best wishes to everyone starting and returning to uni this year!
Holly
University of Bath
Reply 2
May I also take a moment to share my top tips as a Bath grad who has been there, done it and got multiple tee shirts?
Top Tips for Managing University (according to a former student-turned-staff!)
1.
Create a colour coded google calendar. Input your lectures, seminars, labs/workshops/tutorials, any slots you want to do independent work for each module. Most importantly, make sure you keep at least 2 or 3 free slots per week to fill with things for YOU, such as part time work, seeing friends, going to town, seeing a film, (walking by the lake?) or just relaxing with some music or a book. Don't let yourself burn out
2.
Don't leave your classes with questions, leave them with answers. Uni is a step up in terms of independence but you are absolutely not expected to manage alone. Use your lecturers. Talk to them, ask them for help or advice if there's something you don't understand.
3.
Manage your money by creating a spreadsheet of your income and expenditure. This will give you an idea of how much you spend each week and how much you can save for later. Make use of reduced-price food from the supermarkets, if it is for you, then work part time (student ambassador-ing was my absolute favourite part of my degree!), and share groceries with flatmates/family if you are living at home, set yourself up with a good savings account with a good interest rate, and buy clothes on Vinted etc, take part in experiments by your uni's psychology department for with financial rewards. Every little helps
I really hope that helps, huge best wishes to everyone starting and returning to uni this year!
Holly
University of Bath
Great advice Holly! Thanks for sharing 🤗 @University of Bath
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