GoUni Tips - Education

1. Manage your workload 📜

Prioritise your workload and make sure you take a break when you feel the workload is getting too much.

2. Plan out a weekly budget 💷

You can use an app to track your spending if you want to get an idea of how much you're spending, because it's something we usually underestimate.

Just take half an hour or so to sit down and look at what money you have coming in and what you're spending.

It might mean making some adjustments like boosting your income or reducing your spending (ask for a student discount everywhere, you'll be surprised at the sort of places that offer it as they don't always advertise) but it means you can live comfortably.

3. Back up your work 📃

I know you have a gmail account, so make sure you use Google Drive to save everything which means it is stored in the cloud.

One piece of advice would be to make sure you save different versions of a piece of work as you go along.

For example, if you are writing an essay on the French Revolution, save it as 'French Revolution half' at the halfway stage, and then again as a separate version three-quarters of the way through, etc.

That way if you do manage to delete a copy you will not have to rewrite from the beginning.

4. Make the most of the first year 

If your first year doesn't count towards your overall grade, make the most of the freedom that offers you.

Obviously the academic side is important but that really amps up in second and third year anyway.

5. Don't be afraid to be choosy about friends 👧

People starting uni need to remember that the people you meet in your first week will not necessarily be your friends for life.

Don't think that you have to stick to people like glue just because you haven't met anyone else yet.

Throw yourself into activities and societies, get a job, strike up a conversation with someone at the gym - you'll make so many friends throughout the year in the oddest of places.

Joining all the societies that interest you.

You don't just want your uni friends to be the people on your course and who you live with, so join a society to make friends there.

It's a good way to socialise cheaply, especially if you're not a big drinker. It also just makes the uni experience more fulfilling.

6. Look out for people 😞

Sadly many students suffer with mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. Recent statistics show 146 students took their own lives in 2016.

It's surprising that the number of people who would look and act fine outwardly but were actually really struggling. 

The key here is talking directly, especially with men. I know if I were just asked 'How are you feeling?' I'd probably just skirt around the question with a generic answer.

But if a friend asked 'Do you think your mental health has been affected by….?' we might be tempted to answer more honestly.

7. Learn to cook on a budget 🍳👩‍🍳

Stop caring about brands just because you have them at home.

For example, if you're making something like a bolognese then buy the 'basics' version of the chopped tomatoes. It's not an ingredient you need to have a special brand for - chopped tomatoes is chopped tomatoes.

Tupperware is your friend: Cook food in bulk then freeze it in meal-sized portions.

Like many students I didn't really have anything other than rudimentary cookery skills before I went, and found learning to cook was reasonably enjoyable.

8. Stay in touch with friends from home 🏡👨‍👩‍👧

Keeping in touch with family and friends from back home is a good way of keeping loneliness at bay, and a good chance to speak openly about any problems.

Uni can be very lonely. Make sure you check in with your home friends who are also at uni and keep track of who might be having a hard time, and make sure you tell your friends if you find yourself struggling.

9. Stay true to yourself 😌

At university, students are usually living away from home for the first time which means no parents.

You don't have to be an extrovert to enjoy the experience - don't feel obliged to go on nights out because you feel forced to (you will regret it in the morning).

University seems to create a drinking culture so it's okay if you're not into it. Trust me, you will not be the only non-drinker on campus.

Alternatively, if you do have a big personality, make the most of your student life, as life after uni is nowhere near as cheap.