Moving Away for Uni – Top Tips

Hi everyone, I’m Yasmin, one of the Official Student Reps for The University of Law.
Moving away from home for the first time is a big step — I know it felt like a mix of excitement and nerves when I did it. The good news is, there are plenty of ways to make the transition smoother and settle into your new routine.

✨ Here are my top tips: ✨

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Pack smart: Bring the essentials (bedding, kitchen basics, clothes for all seasons) but don’t stress about taking everything at once. I overpacked and soon regretted it. You’ll quickly figure out what you really need.

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Budget wisely: First year is often when you first manage your own money — setting a weekly budget helped me avoid that “how did I spend it all?” moment.

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Make your room homely: A few photos, LED lights, or even a blanket from home can make your space feel much more comfortable and homier.

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Get to know your flatmates: Even if you’re shy, knocking on their door or cooking a shared meal can break the ice.

💡 My experience: In my first term, I struggled a bit with settling in — but keeping busy with university, going out with my flatmates and making time for video calls back home with family and friends made it much easier. It wasn’t long before my flat felt like a second home. Moving away is a big change, but it’s also an amazing opportunity to become more independent, meet new people, and grow in confidence. You’ll be surprised how quickly your new city starts to feel like home 🌟

📍 Want to find out more about student life at ULaw? Come along to our Open Days & Virtual Events to see what campus life is really like and ask questions directly. You can also chat to me on Unibuddy https://www.law.ac.uk/students/unibuddy/

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post

by TheUniofLawStaff

•

Budget wisely: First year is often when you first manage your own money — setting a weekly budget helped me avoid that “how did I spend it all?” moment.

•

Make your room homely: A few photos, LED lights, or even a blanket from home can make your space feel much more comfortable and homier.

•

Get to know your flatmates: Even if you’re shy, knocking on their door or cooking a shared meal can break the ice.

💡 My experience: In my first term, I struggled a bit with settling in — but keeping busy with university, going out with my flatmates and making time for video calls back home with family and friends made it much easier. It wasn’t long before my flat felt like a second home. Moving away is a big change, but it’s also an amazing opportunity to become more independent, meet new people, and grow in confidence. You’ll be surprised how quickly your new city starts to feel like home 🌟
📍 Want to find out more about student life at ULaw? Come along to our Open Days & Virtual Events to see what campus life is really like and ask questions directly. You can also chat to me on Unibuddy https://www.law.ac.uk/students/unibuddy/

Hi @TheUniofLawStaff

This is some really great advice!

From my experience, I would also add:

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Try not to put to much pressure on yourself to find your 'best friends' in the first week. It can take time for friendships to develop and it is definitely better to let them develop naturally. Get to know lots of different people and put yourself out there by going out with other people and inviting people to join you when you go out.

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Be prepared for the actual uni side of things. Make sure that you try your best to attend all of your lectures and seminars so that you can get all of the information that you need. I found that it was really important to stay organised and on top of my work right from the start rather than letting it build up.

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Make the most of being in a new place - find out what activities, restaurants and shops there are that you could go and visit! Keeping yourself busy will really help to reduce the very normal homesickness feelings.

Sophie.
BCU Student Rep.

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

These tips are great, especially about not overpacking. I brought half my life my first term and spent weeks trying to make it all fit. What helped the next time was doing a quick room plan before packing, so I only brought what actually fit the space. I also labelled everything by “daily use,” “weekly use,” and “storage,” which made unpacking so much smoother. For the overflow bits like winter coats or spare kitchen stuff, I kept them in short-term storage until I needed them. Safestore, and Henfield Storage had decent student rates for small units, and it took a lot of pressure off during the move.