London

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London has a good number of universities. Having studied in London, these are a few ideas that anyone new to the area should look into.

Getting around

  • Citymapper is one of the best apps available for London (and there is also suppport for other cities around the world). It tells you the fastest way from A to B, provides alternative routes, gives real-time updates, and even gives an estimate of how much the journey is likely to take. A must-have for anyone living in London.

 

Public transport

  • Get an Oyster card. They’re only a few pounds and you can save a lot of money by using an Oyster card instead of buying a ticket. There is a daily fare cap so if you travel a lot (about three journeys per day in Zone 1), you’ll end up saving money. You can also buy weekly or monthly travel cards if you will be travelling a lot, but do the maths for these. And when you leave London, you can get the cost of the Oyster Card refunded.
  • If you have a railcard, ask staff at any Tube station to attach it to your Oyster card. You can save a third on fares in off-peak times. If you don’t have a railcard, do the maths to see if it’s worth getting one. If you can walk to university every day, you might not be spending enough to offset the cost of buying one.
  • If you take the bus, the hopper fare means that you can go on a second bus within an hour of getting on the first one at no extra cost.

 

Cycling

  • There are lots of cycle lanes around London. There are also lots of parts of London where there are no cycle lanes. Be careful when cycling – the roads can be very dangerous.

 

Internet

  • If you don’t need super fast internet, look into Relish. Relish uses the 4G network and provides decently priced internet. The setup is easy – order online and it arrives the following day, plug it in and you have internet. This saves days (or even weeks) of waiting for the internet company to connect to the house. And there’s no line rental charge either. Note that, because Relish uses the 4G network, if you get poor phone signal in your accommodation, you won’t have a good internet connection either.

Textbooks

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Buying textbooks at the start of a new year is always expensive. But do you really need a brand new textbook?

Your university library should have a large collection of books and will most likely have a copy of any recommended textbooks available. Libraries usually offer a service where they will buy books if they feel enough students will use them (just ask!). You won’t be able to keep the book indefinitely, but if your lecturer rarely assigns work from the text, you could save yourself a lot of money. It may be worth waiting a couple of weeks before buying one.

If you do find that you need a textbook, consider sites such as Amazon or Play.com where you can often get new or used textbooks for a fraction of the recommended retail price. Just watch out for postage costs.

Some universities sell used textbooks for a discounted price, but there are only so many books available so you might have to look elsewhere.

As another alternative, see if you can make use of a digital copy of the textbook. Sites like Google Books offer partial and complete copies of a very large selection of books which can be viewed online for free. This service is also useful if you want to see what a textbook is like before buying one.

As a last suggestion, consider sharing a textbook with someone on your course.

Making friends (clubs and societies)

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The academic year starts in either September or October in the UK, depending on the university. Most people will leave for university not knowing many, if any, people that they will be living and studying with. This can be a daunting experience, particularly for less-outgoing people, but it’s also a really good time to meet new people with similar interests.

If you are entering first year, the chances are that you will end up in university halls. This means that you will be sharing living quarters (anything from kitchen or living room to bathroom and bedroom) with anywhere between around four to fifty other people, although this depends on where you’ll be staying. Over the course of the year, you’ll have the chance to get to know some, if not all, of these people well.

Universities also offer a range of clubs and societies and there will be something for everyone. This is a really good way of meeting people with similar hobbies and interests and most places will offer a ‘try before you buy’ policy where you can attend the society without paying any membership fees. There will be older students in each society too, so you’ll be able to ask them about their own experiences at university (and ask for advice which can be useful when trying to find accommodation for your second year).
If your university doesn’t offer a society which interests you, you can always start your own. Your student union should be able to help you with any queries and being the president of a society looks wonderful on a CV.

And of course, there are other people on your course who you will be spending a lot of time studying with during your time at university. Many departments offer first years a session where you can meet other students on your course in a relaxed environment, followed by nights out during the term where you can socialise with the other students (and sometimes lecturers too).

What to take to university

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So many things! So little space!

It’s nearly that time of year when everyone is off to university. But if you’re a fresher, you’ve never had to live away from home on your own for a year before, and probably aren’t too sure of what to pack.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to drive to university, you’ll be able to carry most of what you’ll need and not have to worry about buying it when you arrive. This means you might be able to get it cheaper from somewhere locally or online, as well as knowing that you’ll have it when you arrive.

  • Clothes – everyday clothes, pyjamas, something smarter for special occasions, something suitable for sport (if you plan to do any)
  • Laptop – also consider: USB stick, printer
  • Paperwork – ie – forms from Student Finance, ID, NHS number, bank details, doctor information etc
  • Pots / pans – check if you need them or not. Most halls won’t provide you with any
  • Cutlery
  • Mug / plate / bowl
  • Tin opener
  • Chopping board
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Wooden spoon
  • First aid kit – containing basic things like plasters, painkillers
  • ‘Useful’ box – containing things like drawing pins, elastic bands, sellotape, safety pins, mini sewing kit, small screwdriver
  • Desk lamp – you may or may not be given one
  • Alarm clock(s) – you’re going to university to study
  • Stationery – pens, pencils, paper, scissors, hole punch, ring binder, etc – you can get it on campus, but if you can find it cheaper elsewhere, get it beforehand. Also pay attention to ‘back to School sales’ in late August/early September for cheaper stuff
  • Whiteboard and pens
  • Bedding – duvet, sheets, pillow cases, mattress cover – pack somewhere easily accessible for your first night
  • Coat hangers
  • Over-the-door hook
  • Bath towel
  • Tea towel
  • Oven glove
  • Umbrella
  • Mobile phone (and charger)
  • Headphones – there is nothing more irritating than hearing a flatmate playing music loudly while you are trying to study. Show some consideration for others!
  • Pack of cards
  • Laundry basket
  • Backpack / other back to take to campus
  • Torch

Consumables

  • Enough food for a few days
  • Washing powder
  • Washing up liquid
  • Tin foil
  • Cling film

Optional items

  • Photos of friends and family
  • Rug
  • Poster (many universities will have poster sales early on)

 

If you’re taking public transport to get to university, you’re limited by what you can carry.

  • Clothes to last you for a few days
  • All the paperwork that you might need – Student Finance forms, ID, etc
  • Laptop
  • Enough money to last you for a couple of days (but don’t carry large amounts of money around with you)
  • Essential toiletries

If you know your new address, consider sending some of your stuff by post or even buying brand new items through places like Amazon or Argos to be delivered around the time you arrive. This may be a particularly good idea for items such as bedding.

 

Perhaps more importantly, what should you avoid taking to university?

  • Iron – most halls will provide you with one
  • Kettle – most halls will provide you with one, so not worth taking one unless you plan to be drinking a lot of tea or coffee in your room
  • TV – if you have a TV, you must pay for a TV licence. Better to watch programmes online after they have aired, through services such as iPlayer, ITV Player or 4oD. Sites like Netflix are also popular with students.
  • Toaster
  • Candles – most places won’t allow them anyway
  • Pets – most halls won’t allow them and you won’t have enough time to look after them
  • A car – you’ll have to pay for its upkeep and you won’t use it enough

 

 

Food

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Not in catered accommodation? Don’t worry, you’ll learn how to cook in no time!

Sites like BBC Good Food have a large range of recipes, give you an indication of how difficult each meal is and give you an estimate of how long each meal should take to prepare.

 

When you arrive at university, consider talking to the other people you meet with about sharing meals. This may work out much cheaper per person, means you won’t have to cook as often and you’ll get to try a wider range of dishes than you would cook yourself. It’s also a really good way of getting to know other people.

 

Of course you can go to restaurants to eat, but this will be far more expensive. Well known restaurants and fast food places around the country include:

McDonalds

KFC

Dominos

Burger King

Pizza Express

Bella Italia

Wetherspoons

 

You might decide to have one meal out a week and cook the rest of the time. Cooking certainly saves money.

The secret life of students: 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing

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eemaa27's avatarHyperbal-E

The Secret Life of Students. Channel 4 documentary. Group shot

I have written about Channel 4 programmes before, some I have watched and some I have dipped in and out of. Recently having a lot of time of my hands I thought I would watch the latest “documentary” from Channel 4 “the secret life of students”.

Why would I do this to myself?

Well mainly boredom, intrigue and a little bit of wanting to relive the old days which I call upon a lot while writing this blog and in my day to day job. Don’t worry, this post isn’t about to be me saying “oh I wish I had done X differently” I can’t help but feel this is going to make me sound super old though.

The good

  • I think this is a great insight into the dos and don’ts of life as a fresher. You can make your own mind up about whether people are making the…

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Charity shops

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The Oxford Dictionary defines charity as an organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need.

England has many charity shops. These are shops which sell anything and everything in order to raise money for a good cause. When people no longer have a use for certain items, they donate them to a charity shop and the charity shop sells them on to raise money.

You can find:

  • Clothes
  • Books
  • Pots / pans / cutlery
  • Toys

Bear in mind that everything will be second hand, but that doesn’t mean that it will poor quality. Just about everything you buy from a charity shop will be much cheaper than something brand new and you can save a lot of money if you just want something like a saucepan to cook with.

Names of charity shops will vary all over the country, but some charities will have stores in most areas. Here are a few:

  • The British Heart Foundation
  • Scope
  • RSPCA
  • PDSA
  • Oxfam

Of course, you never know if the shop will have the item you need, but it’s always worth a look and you may find something useful, not to mention feeling good about supporting a good cause.

Finding accommodation

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You’re a student and you’re looking for accommodation. Sound easy?

Depending on where you’re going to be staying, prices are going to vary enormously. If you want your own en suite and cleaner, expect to be paying a lot more. If you’re a first year student, you will probably have the chance to stay in university halls. This can be a wonderful or terrible experience. Or both.

You’ll be near to your university campus, which means you won’t have to travel far every morning and it means that you’ll get to meet new people. It can be great if your best friends and people on your course are all living nearby and there will be plenty of opportunities to study and socialise with them. In halls, everything will be provided for you, so you won’t have to worry about bills and there will be someone who will be able to take care of any maintenance that might need doing. Oven doesn’t work? Someone will fix it. Light bulb broken? Someone will replace it for you. And you probably won’t need a bus pass if you live near your lecture theatres.

However, if you don’t get on with your flatmates, staying in halls can turn unpleasant. You’ll be staying there for a year and you probably won’t get to meet your flatmates beforehand. You’ll be sharing a kitchen (and possibly a bathroom) and if you’re not all good at tidying up after yourselves, you’re going to end up annoying each other. With lots of people living nearby, you’ll find that it will get noisy at times and your room may not be soundproof. Halls can be expensive. Do you really need your own shower? It sounds convenient, but do you really need your food cooked for you? (It can be far cheaper to cook your own.) How close are you going to be to your lecture theatres? How close are shops?

An alternative may be to live in the city nearby. You can find places much closer to the shops and only a short bus ride away from your lectures. Houses may end up far cheaper than campus accommodation, and you can choose who you live with (if you want to).

Some places to find accommodation:

Beware of offers that sound too good to be true. Also see if you can find some local letting agencies or adverts.

Points to consider:

  • If you want to find somewhere nice, cheap, with a certain number of bedrooms etc, you need to start looking early. Places can be found as late as a few weeks before you want to move in, but the best places will go quickly. Start looking at the earliest possible time, if you can. Before Christmas if possible.
  • Your rent may not include bills, so don’t forget to budget for them.
  • You may want to cycle instead of taking a bus. It will work out cheaper than a bus pass.
  • If you take part in any activities in the town, you won’t need a bus pass to get to them.

 

There are advantages and disadvantages to both living on campus and living off campus and each will give different experiences.