It's Okay to be Upset When Saying Goodbye
You'll probably be feeling a lot of emotions when you first go to university; excitement, trepidation, and nervousness. Don't feel pressured to stay excited all the time; take your time to feel everything, and accept that you'll feel sad at times, especially when saying goodbye to your family. These are big changes in your life, and it's normal to not be excited about everything.
Get to Know Your New Flat Mates
When you first move into your new student accommodation, you may want to just lock yourself away in your room. You should avoid this though, and spend time getting to know your new flatmates as soon as possible - the longer you leave it, the more likely it is to be awkward. You'll be living with these people for the next year, and they may even turn out to be great friends, so you want to make sure you make a good first impression. You can get to know each other more by planning a night out, or by just leaving your door open so they can pop in for a chat.
Go for an Adventure and Explore Your Surroundings
Learning where all of the local amenities are, finding the quickest route to university, and checking the nearby public transport options is a great way to get to know the surrounding area. This can make you feel more comfortable, as you know how to move around and get to where you need to go. You may even find some good places to go out with your friends later.
Keep Your Stuff in Your Own Spaces
If you've brought a bunch of plates, pots and pans to university, or just other general stuff that you'd like to keep in good condition, you should endeavour to keep them in your designated cupboard, or just in your room. Once your housemates start using your items, they'll probably start getting broken and damaged; or they might just disappear!
Create a Cleaning and Bin Rota
When you're living with a bunch of other students, and for all of whom this is likely their first time living away from home, you'll probably find that most people aren't used to cleaning up after themselves. You don't want to end up as the one who cleans up after everyone else, so make sure you create a rota for cleaning and taking out the bins. This way everyone has responsibility and is treated equally.
Turn Up to Your 1-on-1 With Your Tutor
Your tutor is likely going to be the first person you speak to if you need support while at university, so it's worthwhile getting to know them. Many of them have supported students just like yourself through going to university for the first time, so they'll be able to give you advice and tips, while also supporting you on your academic journey.
Other Useful Tips:
- There is always one student who loses a key card or student ID: don't let it be you.
- Wash your towels and bed sheets regularly.
- Join your flatmates for group activities as much as possible.
- Don't disregard nutrition in your meals.
- Ask for help if you need it, your university will have support available.
- Check your university email often.
- Join at least one society.
- Attend as much as possible during the first week.
- Learn about your Student Union.
Looking for Student Accommodation? Unihousing Can Help!
Unihousing is a student accommodation provider near the University of Birmingham, operating since 1984. All of our accommodation in Selly Oak is owned by us, so we can respond quickly to any requests using our qualified team of tradesmen. Our property office is located on Bristol Road, only a short walk away from all of our accommodation. This means we can deal directly with our tenants.
Unihousing was selected as the Number 1 Student Letting Agent in Birmingham by the UK's biggest fresher community, Unifresher.
