Your first year at
uni is a crazy time and there are endless learning curves. Obviously, you’ll do
a lot of studying on your course but you also have to learn a lot of life
lessons as well. For most people, it’s the first time living on your own away
from home and making all of your own decisions, a lot of them to do with money.
When you were living at home, you probably got fed up with being told what to
do in the years you’re yearning for freedom, but you’ll soon start to realise
that their advice wasn’t all bad.
Nobody is perfect and
you’re never going to get it right the first time around, and I certainly had a
few issues when I was getting to grips with the new lifestyle. Some of those
mistakes are only minor and you don’t need to worry, but some of them can have
a bigger impact on your life, and it’s those big mistakes that you need to
avoid. These are some of the biggest mistakes that you’re likely to make in
your first year of uni, and how you can get around them.
Spending Too Much
Money
This is by far the
biggest mistake that people make because they’re not used to budgeting their
money and paying their bills, so it’s likely that you will overspend at some
point. When you first get your student loan payment, it seems like a lot of
money and so there’s a tendency for students to just blow it all right away and
get overexcited (trust me, I’ve seen it happen). But between your rent, food,
and going out, you’ll soon burn through that money and halfway through the
term, realise that you are starting to run out. It’s at this point that people
will start learning how to budget so they can survive until they get their next
payment through, but that’s not the way to go about it. If you only start
budgeting once you are already low on money, you will have to stick to a strict
budget that doesn’t allow much money for fun things at all. It’s far better to
start budgeting
your money properly from the very beginning, so you can still afford all of your important
bills and have some money left over for fun activities as well. I chose to
work out a weekly budget for myself, as that way I constantly had a close eye
on what I was spending and never seemed to stray far out of my budget!
A lot of students
forget about the summer as well and only write a budget that covers them during
term time. But you have to remember that your final payment for the year has to
last you through summer until term starts again next year. Summer is a time
when you should be having amazing
travel experiences or catching up with old friends, and you need money to do that stuff. Summer
jobs are a good option, but it’s still a good idea to save some of your loan so
you have enough money during the summer. Missing out on experiences is one of
the most gutting things!
Picking Bad
Accommodation
Finding somewhere to
live is one of the most important decisions that you have to make but a lot of
students make mistakes because they don’t know what they’re looking for. Some
student landlords will try to rip you off or get away with letting properties
that are in terrible condition because they know that students don’t always
know better. When it comes to accommodation, don’t just go for the cheapest
option because there is usually a reason that those places are so cheap. The
first thing you should think about is the location. You want to find student
accommodation in the city centre, close to the university. If you are living too
far away from everything, you will be spending a lot of money on buses to get
around. As well as the location, you need to know whether the bills are
included in the rent or not. Usually, it’s best to get bills included so you
have one simple payment to deal with and you don’t need to worry about how much
you are using. Finally, when you look around, watch out for things like damp
and mould or things that are broken. Some landlords are not very good with the
upkeep of the property and you don’t want to rent from them.
As well as the
accommodation itself, you need to think about who you
are living with if you are going into a house share. Just because you get along with
somebody, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be able to live with them.
Think about which friends have a similar lifestyle to you in terms of studying
and going out, and don’t live with anybody that is too messy if you are a neat
person because it will cause arguments.
Going Out Too
Much
Going out is a big
part of university life for most people and it’s fine to have a good time with
your friends. But you need to find a
balance between work and play, otherwise, you’re going to be in big trouble when exams roll around.
If you neglect your studies, your grades will suffer and in some cases, you may
even struggle to pass the year. As long as you prioritise work and make sure
that you get everything done before going out, and skip the night out if you’re
falling behind, you will be fine.
Not Asking For
Help
So many first year
students find themselves struggling but they don’t ask for help. It can be
intimidating and people worry that their tutors will think badly of them if
they admit that they are having trouble keeping up, but that isn’t the case at
all. It’s what they’re there for and if you ask for
help early on, it’s easy
to get back on track. But if you stay silent for weeks and weeks, and only ask
for help a few days before an assignment is due in, that’s when you will be in
big trouble.
If you can avoid
these big mistakes, you should be able to survive your first year at university
and have an even better time than you ever imagined.
* this is a contributed post
