We’ve all heard ‘legendary’ stories of
poor, drunk, young people fighting the
never ending battle of sleep vs lectures.

You know, the typical student
stereotypes. Is uni really like this? How
on earth are you supposed to balance
social life with academic studies?

I’ve put together a list of tips i want to share with anyone about to embark on their uni adventure (I'm not jealous at
all)!

If you can think of any yourself, please
leave a comment at the bottom. Let’s
help future first years to have the BEST uni experience.

1. CONTROLLING YOUR FINANCES
(BUDGETING)
You’re going to be skint at certain points in your university life , but being permanently
penniless is something you can avoid if
you control what you spend.
Don’t waste money on expensive food,
the supermarket value brands are
exactly the same (you’re usually only
paying for the packaging), and you’ll save a huge amount.

I do also suggest taking a good look at
your financial situation before you spend any money, working out what’s got to go out , which will then give you a better idea of what you have to spend on food, clothes and
unforgettable nights out.

3. CONTROLING FOOD COMSUMPTION

Controlling how much you eat and when you eat not only keeps you from demolishing a week’s shopping in a few days, but also saves you quite a bit of money.
A good tip is to make a list of every meal you’re going to eat that week and then only buy the items you’ll need for those.
That way you don’t need to worry about what to have for dinner and won’t be stuck with the nightly trip to eatery because once again, you have no food in.
Another really useful pointer is not to go shopping when you’re hungry. Do not do
it. You’ll buy things you don’t need and
so end up spending a lot more than you can or should.

*LYING TO YOUR PARENT/GUARDIAN

Çan’t say I condone this one, but
doesn’t everyone tell their parents
the occasional white lie? If you’ve
reached the age of 18+ and you’re still
not managing to effectively lie to your
parents/guardians, you’ve been doing
something wrong.

Let’s put forward a scenario: you’re short of cash and you want to buy food/clothes. You phone up the bank of Mum
and Dad in the hopes of getting what
you need.
Now, simply telling them outright what
you want the money for isn’t going to
work, but there is this tactic:
“My phone/gas & electric/Handout is
a lot higher than I thought, I don’t have
the money for it"
Hey presto, they don’t want you going
without, so you’re likely to get a bit of
cash from them to tide you over. This
won’t always work, but if you play the
guilt-trip card when lying to your
parents/guardians, you’re more than
likely to come out smiling.
This could have probably been renamed to “asking for money from your parents”
but we wanted to grab your attention. It may seem wrong but that's the only option.

*STANDING YOUR GROUND AND
KNOWING YOUR STUFF

When it comes to things like landlords
and other contracts you’ll take out while
you’re at uni, the sad fact is a lot of
people will see what they can get away
with if they think you’re a wishy washy
student.
Don’t let people walk all over you though,
it’s painful, demoralising and not fun in
any way! Research your rights and talk
confidently. You’re no mug!

.