Dear Fresher

With the majority of my readers' age being between 18-24, I thought I'd write something a little different on the blog today. Think of this as a little letter to anyone who is going to or has just started university. Although it has come with its ups and downs, my uni experience has made for the best three years of my life and I've loved it so much I have decided to turn my BA into an MA by studying for a masters this year at the same university. I fully understand that university or college isn't for everyone, but for those of you embarking on your first year, here are some tips on how to survive and make the most of your time in higher education.

Before you go: try and find your flatmates on forums/Facebook. I found this so helpful and managed to find the majority of my flatmates before moving into halls and this broke the ice a bit before moving in (a cheeky stalk can also let you to get to know them a little bit before moving in too). The same goes for those not going into halls as you'll also be able to find those staying close to home too or even find a friendly face who is on your course that you can sit next to for your introductory lectures.

When you get there: bring biscuits/cakes/snacks as again these can break the ice and get a sense of communality going (if that makes sense?). Get whoever has brought you to do a food shop for you, (my mum only packed me some tinned goods...) as this will be one less thing for you to worry about in your first week. Also make the most of your accommodation if you're in it! Me and my flatmate went to all the flats in our block to introduce ourselves before the first night, but if I could go back I'd expand this to the surrounding blocks too. 

Don't stress: for the majority of courses in the UK, first year marks do not count towards your final degree. I didn't know this applied to me until a month in, so worked my butt off trying to read every book and carefully do all my seminar prep, which stressed me out a bit. The stress was a tad unnecessary, everyone is finding their feet with this course, it's okay to make mistakes and it's more than okay to get 55% (that's a mid 2:2) - it took me a while to get my head around the way university marking works. So try and relax, I missed opportunities to socialise and get involved with things because I tried too hard in my 1st year, don't let that be you - make the most of your first year and have fun. 

Get involved as much as you can: if there was something I could drill home to my fresher-shelf it would be this. Going around the clubs and societies fair in my first week I saw so many things I thought I wanted to do and put my name on their mailing lists, but came down to actually joining the only extracurricular thing I did in first year was write for my uni's newspaper. I went to a cheerleading try-outs (failed massively) and missed the deadline for signing up to the dance society. By the end of my third year I'd competed in three dance teams for my university, been a RAG committee member and took part in Freshers' Week Crew and RAG Week crew. My third year, although it was the most stressful, ended up being the best year of my undergrad experience and that was because it was the most involved I had been in uni - so in a way I did what you're supposed to do in reverse. Although my grades did suffer a little bit, I came out with a 2:1 and a tonne of experience which I'm much happier with than just a 1st and nothing to put on my CV.

Stock up on fancy dress: from a clown to a cat, and from Gretchen Weiners to a circus animal, during my time at university I have really been it all. After rent, bills and food, fancy dress is probably what I've most frequently spent my money on, whether that's been for sports nights, birthdays or Halloween. Suss out your local Primark or cheap fancy dress shop (for those of you in Newcastle, head to Magic Box!!) because dressing up doesn't have to be expensive. Also save your previous outfits as you never know when you might need them again.

I hope you've enjoyed this chattier-than-normal post and if your heading to uni this September for your first or final year - GOOD LUCK! Try to remember that after these few years you'll probably be   working 9 to 5 (cue the Dolly Parton lyrics), so make sure you make the most of flexible hours (i.e. Netflix, naps and nights out).

For those of you who went/go to university, what would you say to your younger self and what tips would you give to freshers?

Charlotte x