Starting Uni can be incredibly daunting and stressful! But you shouldn’t worry too much, as everyone’s in the same boat! It’s your first bit of freedom, you’ve moved away from home, and now you can do pretty much what you want, so have fun! University is a place where you can meet so many new people, new friends and experience so many new things.

To help you figure out how to navigate that first move, and how to best prepare for uni, we put together a list of tips to help you survive the fresh start!

Uni is all about trying new things and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. You might not be the most sociable person ever, but give yourself a push, out of your comfort zone and get to know different people. Think about signing up for any societies that interest you and that you want to give a go (even if you have never done it before). It will help your confidence grow so much! 

When you move to university, you’re might be living with people you’ve never met before. You’re going to be thrown into so many social situations where you’ll meet loads of new faces from all around the world. It’s a brilliant time to expand your mindset and network with new people. Just remember, if you’re living with people that not everyone will have the same habits and level of cleanliness as you do. It’s just one of those things you have to adapt to. Uni is a great time to try new things and to get involved with things that interest you, so definitely be open minded in the sense of trying new things and new experiences. 

Get involved in everything you can during freshers week. We’re thinking course welcome talks, getting familiar with your campus, and make the most of your chance to get to know new friends. There are loads of club nights for students throughout the week. Don’t worry if you

, there’ll be plenty that isn’t focused on the hardcore party vibes. Your local town or city, and also your uni will have all sorts of events and activities to get involved in.

The

is a great opportunity to see what you can get involved with at your university. You can sign up to any societies that you are interested in. It’s also a good way to make some friends as well, and take advantage of the freebies that you get too! 

If you plan on going out-out during your first few weeks at uni, know your limits when it comes to drinking. Nobody needs a tactical in the queue to get into your new fav student night, especially not during in their first week of uni. You’ve just moved away, you don’t know the area or your new friends that well. Sorry to be the grown ups, but it can get pretty sketchy out there. Obviously go out and have fun, but make sure that you know you know when to simmer it down and look after yourself. It’s better to play it safe while you settle into your new home. And it goes without saying, but if one of your new friends is having a mare, don’t leave anyone behind, and keep ‘em safe.

Make sure that you haven’t forgotten anything you’re going to need throughout the year. You can always pop to the shops to get anything that you might have forgotten, but it’s easier to plan ahead at home before moving, while you know where everything is. Check out our

for ideas on what you should bring with you to uni! 

Get yourself unpacked as soon as you move in, and make your new room feel all homely. You’ll feel so much more settled the moment everythings found it’s place. You’ll also figure out if you’ve forgotten anything, and you can build a list of what to buy. Now, don’t forget to state your claim on your cupboard in the kitchen. It can get pretty annoying if you miss out!

This one’s at the top of the list for a reason, for obvious reasons. Set yourself a budget for your freshers week, and for the weeks to follow. You might be in a situation where you have to wait a few weeks for Student Loan to land, and you’ll need some savings to get you through. Don’t forget to

to make sure you get everything in good time.

We know it’s tempting, but you want to try and avoid the situation where you blow all your savings, and don’t give yourself a chance to survive the rest of the term. See how you can set a budget for university by reading our

. Trust us, it’ll help you in the long run.

Now, we are very aware that a lot of people don’t get a great maintenance loan, and you might be in the situation where your loan doesn’t even cover your rent.

to help boost your income. Setting up a budget with your new earnings will help you stretch your hard earned cash. 

Although it can be tempting, you don’t want to just receive your Student Loan and then suddenly it all disappears because you’ve been out every night, bought a whole new wardrobe and a laptop with the apple student discount. So, do the right thing, and avoid that life of daily beans on toast.

You really don’t need to go out clubbing every single night, even if you suffer from FOMO. Hey, if you can hack it, and that’s what you want to do, we’re down for it. But try not to wear yourself out to the point where you’re going to be on death’s door with freshers flu for weeks after. Everything in moderation is the best way to go. Keep life within your stride.

Chances are no matter how hard you try, you’ll end up getting some sort of cold or worse,

, in the first few weeks of uni. It’s a rite of passage at this point.Stay stocked up on essentials like paracetamol & Lemsip Max. When you get sick, you’ll thank us. Trust.

It’s a weird old time out there now. You no longer have the comfort of your parents cooking you big dinners (this includes your mommas award winning roast potatoes). You won’t have them nagging you to make sure you have your three meals a day, hopefully. Don’t let your good habits slip, and make sure you eat enough, and importantly that it’s good, nutritious food. Message from your mum and dad: please don’t just live off takeaways or potato waffles.

You can find some really good, budget friendly recipes on TikTok, Instagram, or even the BBC Good Food pages on their site. If you’re heading out on the town, you will want to feed yourself well, so you’re not a 1 pint wonder, and end the night in a whole world of pain. There’s nothing worse than going out on an empty stomach. You won’t thank yourself on the night, or the morning after. There's loads of other ways you can

.

You’re figuring out life away from home, it’s time to adapt and plan your new schedule. Freshers week is always mentally hectic, so make sure you know what you have on and when, and you can get everything sorted that you want. If you’re going out a handful of nights a week, but you have some stuff to sort for uni, plan ahead and stay organised.

Make the most of your first year at university! The good thing about first year is that it often doesn’t even count towards your final degree grades. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to get settled in and make the most of it. Second and Third year will be a bit more stressful as the workload ramps up, and your grades in these years will matter. Now we’re not saying don’t go to your lectures, and hand in all your assignments late. Just give yourself a breather and don’t let it stress you out too much!

So, there are some ideas on what you can do to prepare for probably the best time in your life, university! Honestly, it might feel like there's a lot to worry about, but there are so many things that you can do and get involved with that will make your student life all the more fun! Want to figure out everything else there is to know about surviving freshers, head on over to our

hub to learn more.