University Advice
Guidance on how to make the most out of university. Make sure you check the Further Resources page too!
Plan a budget
At university you’ll suddenly have to balance money for rent, food, nights out and more. It can feel overwhelming and stressful, but creating a weekly or monthly budget gives you peace of mind that all your money is accounted for. Some people use a planner or spreadsheet, but there are also apps that link to your bank to automatically categorise card payments. Creating a budget also makes it easier to save up money for larger purchases, or to have emergency funds you can fall back on.
Back up your work
Make sure you have your most important uni work backed up because you never know what could happen to your laptop and it might result in you losing all your work! Use an external hard drive, send emails to yourself, or use cloud storage. Make use of the free software you can access as a university student - this might include Microsoft OneDrive, for instance.
Cook and eat as healthily as much as possible
This advice will save you money, time and stress for the whole of your uni experience. Make sure that whenever you cook meals, cook at least two more servings than you need, then freeze or refrigerate them. That way, when you’re feeling lazy and you have lots of deadlines, you can just take the food out, warm it in the microwave and have dinner ready in less than 5 minutes. You can even take your food onto campus and have it for lunch. This will save you so much money not eating out all the time, makes you eat healthier and it’s just so convenient! Make sure you take loads of Tupperware with you to uni.
Keep in contact with your friends at home
Stay in touch with your friends from home - you'll probably end up going to universities across the UK and even around the world! It's great to catch up regularly and check how everyone is doing. Adjusting to a new environment with new people at university can be difficult, so make sure you're there to support your friends if they need it.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Being confused at university (at least for Computer Science) is completely normal. You’re not expected to start university knowing all the answers, you’re there to learn them. So it’s fine to be confused, it’s about what you do to increase your understanding that matters. Make sure you ask for help, whether that be from your friends, teaching assistants or your lecturers. Lecturers have office hours so make sure you use them!
Know your limits and set boundaries
At university, you'll have a lot of free time outside of contact hours. Try and stick to a schedule and make sure you don't overwork yourself - your health is a priority! Make sure you get enough sleep, exercise regularly and aim to eat healthily.
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