As final years, we’ll be the first to tell you that your uni experience will FLY by, so it’s best to get yourself all up and running as quick as possible so you can start enjoying it from the get go.
That’s why The Taragraph and I have compiled this short list of our best tips and tricks for university, whether you’ve just arrived or are heading into your last year, we hope they help you out!
Things to take to uni:
Tara says…
Cold and flu tablets/lemsip: you’re mixing with a new group of people so you’re also mixing with a new germ pool. Having cold and flu remedies handy stops you from having to trek to the shops when you’re not feeling your best (or having to ask your housemates to buy you some.)
Extension cords: your new uni room probably won’t have many sockets and they might not be placed where you’d want them. An extension cord will give you accessibility to more plugs. Then on days where you’re feeling lazy and doing assignments from your bed, your lamp can be on whilst you’re charging your laptop and phone.
Libby says...
Slippers/sliders: I had heard people say it before I went to uni but stupidly didn’t listen to their advice and I urge you to learn from my mistakes! You don’t want to be walking anywhere barefoot at university; whether it’s down to your laundry room or even to your kitchen those floors are STICKY. Just socks won’t cut it (unless you want to be doing laundry everyday) and the ease of sliders and slippers will soon become apparent. They’re easy to walk to someone else’s flat in and avoid stepping on any food on the floor in your kitchen. Yuck.
Best hacks for when you’re there:
Tara says…
This website www.citethisforme.com: you have to reference everything at uni and you don’t get much help. For my A-Level coursework I had to learn how to reference but not everyone does. Cite This For Me does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s perfect if you’re not sure how to reference or you’re lazy like me and hate doing it yourself.
Libby says...
Don’t pack tonnes of stationery - you don’t need it. I love stationery and in sixth form and school I had tonnes of the stuff, and to be fair always tried to find a use for it. Knowing this, I packed a whole load off with me to university and if I’m being honest I didn’t use around 90% of it. Save yourself the packing and then repacking as, especially with this year being online, you really won’t need that much.
How to handle online learning:
Libby says…
Have a good space that’s separate from your bed or room if you can - depending on how safe you feel in uni spaces go there or some accommodations even offer their own. Don’t work in your room - get out of it! Many accommodations have study spaces etc, especially with online learning we’re going to be in houses/flats a lot more and you need to separate your spaces. It’ll be really difficult getting to sleep if all your bed reminds you of is finishing off that pesky referencing.
Dealing with homesickness
Tara says...
Don’t isolate yourself: if you’re missing home the worst thing you can do is lock yourself in your room. All of your uni friends are in the same situation - they’re probably feeling homesick the same time as you! Talk to your mates and keep doing things to keep your mind off it.
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We've dished out all of our best tricks for general uni life and the first two years of your course, but our best tip is to have fun! Uni acts like a little bit of a delay into scary proper adult life all whilst you're bagging yourself a fancy degree. We’re not experts though so if anybody does have any tips on the final year of uni, we could use all the help we can get in the comments below!