Welcome Week

1. Cooking is easy. Once you get the hang of it cooking truly isn't that hard. I mean yes, as a student you don't cook very complex meals, however, for those who say when you go to university all you eat is beans on toast tell lies. Most university halls don't have toasters in them anyway and grilling toast is far too much effort.
2. People are friendly. Everyone is in the same boat when they go to university so they are all open to talking to everyone and anyone. Key thing is don't isolate yourself staying in your room all day missing hope won't gain you friends you have to go out and meet people 1 on 1.
3. Don't judge. When you make friends with your flat mates you need to be open to meeting other people as well, get to know other people on your floor as soon as you move in as the people you grow close with on the first few nights
4. Missing the odd lesson isn't vital. I discovered recently that going to a lecture with 3 hours sleep and a hangover is not ideal. I spend the majority of the lecture avoiding falling asleep and trying my best to pay attention. When I got home, flat mates asked me how my lecture went, I couldn't remember a thing.
5. Homesickness is normal. The average university student is between 18 and 20. Most of those people would of spend the first 18 to 20 years of their lives living under their parents roof. Therefore when you are plunged into a new home with new strangers you are going to be forced to live with for a year it can be scary. The first week is definitely the hardest but once you settled yourself in it gets better. Don't be afraid to cry or get upset its normal, just try not to be too hysterical 24/7 it may piss your flat mates off.
6. Freshers flu sucks. We all get it, you can't help it, one person in your flat gets it and then that's it your all infected. However, don't let it get you down, it will not go away until after freshers anyway so do stay in a suffer go out, spread the germs and continue enjoying yourself. One of the worst things to do during freshers is to stay inside sitting alone suffering in silence.
7. Real lectures are important. So I know I said that it's not vital to miss the odd lecture, but it is worth having a look at your unit/week lecture topics and if their is something important on their it may be worth not drinking too much the night before. Besides no one wants to actually fall asleep in their lectures or worse - throw up mid lecture.
8. Movies nights are great. You have to live with the other people around you for at least 10 months, so it's worth getting to know each other without the use of alcohol. Movie nights are a great way to get to know the people around you, you can chat and relax comfortably without wondering who's the most drunk person.
9. Stay active. During university life it's so tempting to stay in drink and chat with your roommates and eat all day. However, it's incredibly important to stay active, most gyms near universities tend to do student deals to encourage you to be active and most universities have sporting societies you can join.
10. Keep calm and carry on. They say university is the best 3/4 years of your life, best way to make that statement true is to really enjoy yourself. Seize every opportunity and just take it all in your stride. Don't let university work weigh you down forcing you to be stuck in your room and don't let drinking overrule your life. Just find a nice balance and keep calm and carry on.