Living as a student

When going to university a lot of us end up moving away from home and most of the time into some form of student halls.

When moving into these halls it is a whole new experience to what the majority of us have been used to at home; with a new room, shared kitchen and roommates it is a big adjustment. Trying to cope with all this change all at once is a difficult job for some of us but there are a few things I am going to share with you that have helped me.

To start off with when you move into the halls and your family leaves, you find yourself with this new form of independence, one that can seem quite daunting, but in actuality it is not as bad as you make it out to be. There are loads of ways to deal with this, one being to organise yourself for the week. I highly recommend setting yourself a plan for the week, this includes meal planning, work you have to get done, and figuring out a balance that works for you when it comes to your social life. Like I’ve said in previous posts, having a healthy balance between studies and being social is key at uni because you don’t want to over work one part of the scale.

Another way to help with this new found independence is to make sure you look after yourself; make sure your eating well, whether that be a mix of healthy foods and takeaways or just eating 3 meals a day, just make sure your eating habits are consistent and work for you. Having this lifestyle has so many benefits, from making you less tired and feeling more energised to feeling content and proud of yourself for doing it.

Living as a student can take its toll on a lot of us, if not all, and at some point it starts to become a lot; at this point its time to unwind, relax, and talk to someone. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you take some time for yourself, do dome self-care and talk to someone if you have anything on your mind. Make sure you take a break from uni work, even if that means applying for an extension on an assignment, your mental health is more important! Make sure you’re doing what is best for you and find away that fits and work for you. What might work for someone else might not work for you, so find what does and stick to it.

One thing that a lot us stress about is our student loan, its normal too, because the majority of the time the loan is never as big as we need it to be. I don’t know about you but I stretch my money as far as it will go and I still seem to end up short. One thing I am going to advise you to do, and this might seem like common sense, but the amount of people that I see blowing through their student loan within the first three weeks of getting it is crazy. When you get your loan through, please, please, please be smart with it; the money you receive has got to get you through until your next instalment 3-4 months later, so don’t go spending it all within the first couple of weeks. A tip to help with this is budgeting, it works for most and by budgeting it helps you to keep control of your spending and help to reduce the amount of stress that comes with not having enough money.

Finally when it comes to living as a student in halls do not be that person who leaves their mouldy food, dirty dishes, and bins piled sky high in the kitchen. Remember that the kitchen is a shared living area and you don’t just have to live with others they have to live with you too, so keep the kitchen clean, there is nothing worse than a disgusting kitchen and unhappy flatmates!

©Lucy Roberts 2023