I can't quite believe it's been a month because so many things have happened and changed for me which has made the month seem like years since I moved here. But this post is for all of the people who are thinking about going to university and what you can expect in your first month of moving away from home from someone who has it fresh in her mind.
What's it really like moving away from home?
This is a tricky question because there are some of my flat mates who go home every other weekend and are always seeing their family. But as my mum and dad don't live as close as some of the other girls' do they don't always have the time to come and see me every other weekend. I also can't afford to go home to them because it's going to cost me quite a bit of money as I live further away. But for a while I wanted to move away, look after myself, and make choices for myself and uni has definitely made that a lot easier. I really enjoy being able to go and do something because I want to and not have to ask if it is okay to be doing this. Moving away from home at the age of 18 really opens your eyes to your choices around you as a student and makes you become your own person through these new experiences of the dreaded term "becoming an adult".
One thing that has become apparent very quickly for me is how quickly and easily it is to settle into a new place. It's strange as you live in your home with your parents for 17 years (mostly) and you never see anywhere else as a home. The one thing uni has made me realise is it doesn't matter where you live because home is whatever you make your home to be. But the main thing I've realised is I don't miss my house, I just miss my mum and dad because they're what I class as home. It's not my actual house that is my home, it's the people I live my life in with it. It makes you a lot more grateful to have your parents around when they do come and see you as I miss them way more than I miss my actual house at home.
Is it hard to manage your money?
For me personaly it hasn't been. Before your rent has come out you have to be careful with what you spend as if you don't have your rent money consequences do happen. Not always on purpose but they do, which is another reason why when you apply for your student loan you must fill in your bank details correctly. If you don't, later on when you move in your uni might not be able to take the loan out of your bank or you might have no money going into your bank which means you have nothing to live on. A couple of the girls I live with are going through that process as we speak so it's not fun. But once your rent has gone out this is when you prioritise your money. The way I do it is I keep a track of what I've spent and how much money I have left etc. Then I work out what I have to spend per week until we break up for Christmas, e.g. As of right now I have £58 a week to spend until Christmas - so half on food shopping and the other half for me.
I always thought I'd be bad at organising my money as whenever I had money at home I just used to spend it on whatever I wanted. But I think because I know I've got more money in my bank I don't have to worry about not having enough for something else which makes me feel more at ease. Whereas when I only had a little bit of money at home as I didn't have a job and the majority of that money would get spent on one certain thing because that money would cover the majority of that item I'd just bought.
With all that said, it doesn't mean you can't treat yourself from time to time. Recently I've been to Nandos so much because I tried for the first time a couple weeks ago and now I'm pretty addicted. So we go back every couple/ few weeks for a delicious treat. It is really easy to go over your weekly budget as I've definitely done it this week. But it all goes back to prioritising your money, e.g. If you spent £40 on clothes and your budget is £60 per week, you'd just have to spend less on your food shop. Or if you're like myself this week and you know you don't need to go food shopping, spend it on other things you would like or need. The only main thing you need to do is just keep track of what you're spending to make sure you have enough to last you until your next loan comes in.
Is it difficult to join societies?
At my uni it hasn't been difficult whatsoever to join societies and get involved in new things. As a first year I feel like people encourage you loads to try thing you've never experienced before, just like uni, it's a once in a life time experience. The main thing I realised whilst joining societies and actually going to the taster days and paying the membership fee etc. It showed me that you can't rely on people to always be interested in what you want to do. If you really want to do something you've gotta go for it alone otherwise you'll probably regret it.
The societies I've joined are Drama (obviously), Dance, and Swing Dance which is super exciting as you guys now know, I'm really interested in ballroom dancing and as of right now Swing Dancing is as close as I'm going to get to being able to do ballroom based dancing. Also, it's from the 40s/50s which are two of my favourite eras ever.
It's been lovely to get involved in things I am interested in and to do things for myself. Especially within societies because they're there for you to experience something other than your course. I don't really count as when you're a performer you want to get as much experience as possible before you leave education. But if you're a law student joining a club such as drama or dance maybe that's your way of enjoying yourself in such a serious work based degree. So you don't have to just join similar societies to your course if you don't want to. You are allowed to try new things.
Is the work load difficult?
From my experience at this point in time no, but it depends what course your doing. As I'm doing a drama course; for the first four weeks the lecturers have been easing us back into working as the majority of us haven't done any performing since June/July. The four week introduction was very enjoyable for me as I've already learned, experienced, and gained skills in a new way of performing and devising. Which is what makes me look forward to the on coming year and units within my course.
However, I do know after this reading week is over that we will be getting into all of our other units for the year which means twice as much work as it was before reading week. We are now getting closer to the times where assessments are due and performances are coming up which means I am going to be very busy. I feel at uni this is where becoming an adult really will test me because sometimes I can be lazy. There are days when I need to do something but I put it off as I'm not really in the mood. But prioritising my time is going to be a big thing as I'm devoting my time to my studies, my blog, my friends and family, and of course myself. Uni is very busy and hectic all time as you meet so many different people and do so many different things that sometimes you forget to have a day for you or a few hours to yourself. But never forget to just take a day off or a weekend to regain yourself so you don't feel like your over worked or there's not enough time in your day to do anything because there is.
What's the best thing to buy when you come to uni?
I already knew that uni is going to be one of the busiest times in my life and therefore I bought a Filofax to help me organise my life basically. Before I came here I used to just sit at home and do what I want all day because I could. I had no job and nothing to do so I just relaxed and did what I wished but now even though I can still do that, I have to rely on myself to do a lot of things. E.g. Making sure I got to the launderette and making sure I've got enough food in to make dinner and making myself lunch. So many things I used to rely on my parents for I now can't as they're not here to do those things for me. Therefore making good use of your time is the key.
I bought a Filofax to basically just help me become more organised and to have a place where I can write everything I that I need. So I have everything to do with uni in there, my blog is in there, and I have a personal section in there for anything I need to do for me, e.g. A shopping list. I feel it's helping me keep on top of things because 99.9% of time I have everything written in there twice to make sure I have everything I need. As it's not to big I can take it everywhere with me and have it in my bag. It has become my baby now and I feel naked without it. Just like if you go out and don't have your phone with you. So some form of planner is the main thing you should have when you come to university. Whether it's just for your lessons or your personal life they're super handy and easy to use.
Is freshers how everyone imagines it?
Freshers is a week full of new experiences, meeting new people, getting used to a new place, and of course getting absolutely wankered. My girls and I; we went out every other night in freshers which was nice as we had loads of fun nights out but on those days we took a day off we just hung out and actually got to know one another. Apart from just going out freshers is quite important as during the week there is insightful events to give you as much information you need about the uni and certain events and activities that are going on. And of course, it's a chance to discover where everything is on campus and find places etc.
If you're like myself and your uni has more than one campus, mostly likely your campus is slightly smaller than the main campus so it is easy for you to find your way round. Main campus should be easy to navigate as the majority of your societies and events will most likely take place on main campus. If not, there's always maps!
What have I enjoyed the most so far?
To be honest, my favourite part has actually been going to uni. I'm paying a lot of money for the course I am doing, therefore why wouldn't you want to actually go and experience what you mainly came here for?
I've met some great teachers and friends so far who I can't wait to spend the next three years with learning and experiencing things from one another. I'm really happy I've chosen my course as I feel like it is completely for me. Uni really is going above and beyond a college/ a level degree courses because we're exploring more in depth about practitioners and techniques that can be developed into performances, and learning about the technical aspects of theatre with the lights and the sounds, as well as all that there is enough practical work mixed in with written assignments etc. I feel so happy to be where I am and I am insanely happy I chose to come to University of Chester instead of my other choices because I feel so at home and I'm loving every single second of what I'm doing here.
So for all of you who are thinking of going to university, I hope this post was a helpful insight for some of you.
Good luck and keep working hard!
Bye for now,
Katie
xoxoxoxoxo
