We all know University can seem like a scary place. Beginning this new chapter can be overwhelming which is why we are here to help. Here's a bit of guidance to help combat some of the difficulties you'll come across when settling into your new environment.
Managing your
finances:
A large part of the transition to university is learning to budget
effectively, which many students would never have had to do previously.
Research has shown that money spent on groceries and takeaways/eating out has
increased since 2022, where the average amount spent on food rose by £34
(Brown, 2023). Planning your food shops in relation to your planned meals for
the week/month is key. This means you are less likely to waste food and won’t
impulsively buy random cravings whilst shopping. In general, takeaways are
known to eat away at your money- so first consider cooking at home before
jumping to this easy alternative! Your chosen supermarket will impact your
spending too- buying from an Aldi, Lidl or similar will undoubtedly save money
in comparison to a more expensive store. Brown reported 64% of students wishing
they had better financial education at school, so budgeting can truly be
difficult for many new students. An easy way to help yourself budget is to
calculate your weekly costs and only transfer this proportion of your student
loan to your spending account at the start of each week. This can help you
manage your discretionary expenses more easily as you can gauge how much money
you have spent in the week, and perhaps stop you from spending more than
necessary.
Accommodation:
Most people beginning university live in shared halls, with this
likely being their first time living away from home long term. Living
independently comes with many challenges such as having to learn how cook and
for yourself, which is why it’s important to establish a routine. Studies show
that having food preparation skills enables better eating habits later in life (Hilger
et al., 2017) – why not start now? Having set days to make sure all your new
responsibilities are being taken care of can help, like always taking your bins
out and doing your laundry weekly on the same day. Shared accommodation also
means that you need to able to get along with strangers – its especially
important that you’re respectful of other spaces and can settle arguments to
avoid a hostile living environment, you’ll be living with them for all of first
year and will likely see them more than anyone else! Decorating and
personalising your room can also help with the adjustment of moving to
university, as a cosy space can make you feel more comfortable settling in.
Transportation:
Commuting to university can seem like a daunting task. Whether
that’s travelling by bus, train, tram or car each mode of transport has its own
concerns. The first task is figuring out what route suits you best, you can do
this using google maps which shows you how to get there by both car and public
transport. If you decide to travel by car, it’s important to check beforehand
what parking spaces are available to you and whether your university offer on
campus parking. If you’re travelling by public transport have a look at which
tickets suit you best, for example Swift cards offer a range of tickets options
for bus, train or tram. By using these cards, it stops the hassle of purchasing
tickets on the day making it a stress-free process. I would recommend visiting
the institution at least once before you start so you have an idea of what the
journey is like and can reduce travel anxiety. Another aspect to consider is
the actual day to day commute to university. You need to consider the weather,
traffic, public transport delays as the average delay on subnational transport
bodies is between 8.0 and 9.5 seconds per vehicle per mile (GOV.UK, n.d.).
Therefore you’ll need to make sure you accommodate this time into your journey
plan.
Sleep:
Students often complain that when they are at university they
either find it difficult to sleep or struggle to get enough sleep. In most
cases, this is due to certain lifestyle choices that they might pick up at
university, such as, excessive drinking, not eating properly and an increased
usage in technology such as laptops. Not only is sleep important for a
student’s physical and mental health, but it is also important for a student’s
academic performance, as supported by research from Digital et al. (2005) which
demonstrated that the more sleep a student gets, the higher their GPA is. Hence
it is important for students to get into good sleeping habits at the start of
university. Such habits might include: getting work done as soon as it is set
to avoid pulling an ‘all – nighter’, avoiding caffeine, cutting down on alcohol
consumption and creating a good sleeping environment. A good way to create a
comfortable sleep environment is by making sure that your room is at the right
temperature and listening to sleep music or meditation can also help.
Balancing social
life with work:
The whole point of coming to university is getting that degree. But
it’s meant to be the best years of your life, right? Getting that degree and
balancing your social life is very important to help strive towards your
studies as well as maintaining good mental health. Gropel and Kuhl (2009)
conducted research on undergraduate students and found there’s a relationship
between subjective wellbeing and work life balance. This suggested that having
time free for both work and social life predicts higher wellbeing. It can be
hard when students have numerous deadlines coming up, especially how university
work can be very content heavy. One way with balancing work life and social
life can be to get assignments done as soon as possible. Organization is your
best friend. If you organize your work and tackle those assignments one by one,
you will feel more stressed free and not have that guilty feeling raining upon
you when going out socializing with friends. A study investigated work life balance with
university medical students, and they were asked via questionnaire how they defined
an ideal work life balance. Results found they classed work life balance as
having ‘enjoyment’ whilst meeting ‘work requirements’ (Picton, 2021).
Societies and sports
clubs:
The journey
to university is about more than meeting deadlines and completing coursework;
it is also about exploring the vibrant social scene that awaits. Research has
consistently demonstrated the importance of societies and extracurricular
activities in the personal development of students. Culic et al., (2022)
collected data from 42 university students on the purpose of clubs and
societies. In conclusion they found that 88% of students joined clubs to
socialize and 79% joined clubs to make new friends. Further, engaging in clubs
and events has also been linked to reduced stress and enhanced wellbeing.
Winstone et al., (2020) found that 23 students who participated in teams sport
had reduced levels of stress and felt more relaxed and happier afterwards. As
you venture through your university journey think about joining new societies
and clubs for example here at Warwick, we offer a variety of clubs and
societies such as hockey, basketball and a crafts society. So don’t forget
university is more than just finding your niche and learning new skills, it is
also about discovering new found freedom, exploring other cultures and
developing lifelong friendships.
References:
Brown, L. (2023, September 5). Student Money Survey 2023 –
Results. Save the Student. https://www.savethestudent.org/money/surveys/student-money-survey-2023-results.html
Culic, L. I., Iancu, I. R., & Pavelea, A. (2022).
WHY SHOULD I JOIN A STUDENTS’ CLUB? THE MOTIVATIONS BEHIND PARTICIPATING IN
STUDENTS’ CLUBS. Professional Communication and Translation Studies, 9,
187–198. https://doi.org/10.59168/vlab1197
Digital, R., Rowan, W., Works, D.,
& Hampton, T. (2005). Impact of the lack of sleep on academic
performance in college Impact of the lack of sleep on academic performance in
college students. https://rdw.rowan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2009&context=etd
GOV.UK. (2023, December 5) Travel time measures for the Strategic
Road Network: January to December 2021 report. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/travel-time-measures-for-the-strategic-road-network-and-local-a-roads-january-to-december-2021/travel-time-measures-for-the-strategic-road-network-january-to-december-2021-report#the-srn-in-2021
Gröpel, P., & Kuhl, J. (2009).
Work–life balance and subjective well‐being: The mediating role of need
fulfilment. British Journal of Psychology, 100(2),
365-375. https://doi.org/10.1348/000712608X337797
Hilger, J., Loerbroks, A., & Diehl, K. (2017).
Eating behaviour of university students in Germany: Dietary intake, barriers to
healthy eating and changes in eating behaviour since the time of
matriculation. Appetite, 109, 100–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.11.016
Picton, A. (2021). Work-life balance in medical students:
self-care in a culture of self-sacrifice. BMC Medical Education, 21(1).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02434-5
Winstone, N., Balloo, K., Gravett, K., Jacobs, D., & Keen, H.
(2020). Who stands to benefit? Wellbeing, belonging and challenges to equity in
engagement in extra-curricular activities at university. Active
Learning in Higher Education, 23(2), 146978742090820. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787420908209
Comments
Post a Comment