From a third year for prospective first years

Hi everyone! My names Leila and 3.5 years ago I moved into my flat at Bishop Gate to start my university 4 year long journey to get my degree. In this blog I am going to discuss things I knew back then and offer my advice now as a third year for all you future first year students!

1- Relax! Everything will work out just fine!

I remember being so worried and scared upon moving in. My mam and my auntie helped me move in and I remember being too scared to go into the kitchen and meet everyone and say hello. 

However, once I did everything melted away. My first night with my flatmates we were all watching movies and playing games and we all became good friends. I also put myself out there and messaged people on my course. This is how I made some of my bestfriends that I am still friends with today and I would really encourage you all to put yourself out there with your flatmates and other friends. If there’s a time to put yourself out there… the first week of uni is the time to do it.

2- All the events

I wish I knew about all the great events that halls have to offer. There is so many cool events such as baking events, free food, clothes swap… so many that I would’ve just loved! 

We have lots of events coming up this week! Including a cooking class Wednesday 12th March, Holi Celebration on Friday 14th and lots more! Keep an eye on our social media for more events and if your coming in September be sure to follow us @reslifecovuni on instagram.

3- Cleaning is important

Self-admittedly I was not the best at cleaning in first year and neither was most of my flat mates. This caused a lot of tension in the flat and it became un necessary. I am now very clean and always clean up after myself in my flat now. It makes the world of difference and a cleaner environment is much nicer to live in for everyone and makes everyone else happier too. So I would definitely recommend to go in with a mindset of always cleaning up within an hour after you cook and not leaving things out as well as cleaning surfaces and floors.

4- It’s okay to have down days

University can be tough, especially if you’re moving away from home. It is okay for every day not to be amazing and to have days of feeling homesick. My advice for this would be to lean on the friends you’ve made as well as reaching out to the many support systems we have here at the university such as welfare team. It is important to talk.

Having regular phone calls to home can also help with any homesickness as well. Although I would recommend trying to stick it out and stay at university for the first month to allow you to settle in.

5- Be sure to check out what the accommodation provides

Don’t overbuy. It is very easy to go cray at Ikea before uni and think you need everything but you most likely don’t. Your accommodation will provide a lot of things so be sure to check out the list of what is already provided so you don’t buy duplicates.

I would also recommend sticking to the essentials for your first shop and waiting a week or so to see what you really need so you don’t buy lots of things you’ll never use (I definitely did this).

Overall, enjoy it! You will have a great time and make sure to appreciate every moment as it flies buy!