Predicaments of a Fashion Lover: 29 Things All First Years Should Know // Uni Tips

For the love of all things holy and Chanel, cook. Yes, you won't want to after a day filled with lectures and tutorials, BUT pasta takes 5 minutes to cook and won’t make you gain weight/get bad skin/feel crap the way eating a jar of Nutella will do. Trust me. It feels better to make the effort to cook something, even if it is as simple as pasta with chopped tomatoes and some spinach than buying something for convience. Plus you will feel so much better about making the effort to create something that’s good for you, as well as feeling less of an adult failure.

Freshers week is the time you’re throwing yourself into the world of new independence, freedom and cheap alcohol. Don’t end relationships from home because you’re feeling like the hottest thing on the block – you’re sadly just something across the hall/next door/in the same block. Sounds insane? I know a few people who chucked their other half because they were feeling like a big fish in a small pound. Yikes. So no matter how special you feel in those hazy drunken moments, the end of it is that what happens in Freshers STAYS in Freshers.

Okay, I know I just said to leave your Freshers hook-ups in Freshers, but that doesn’t mean you cant enjoy it?! Get drunk as much as you can and want, because the work just piles on after this week and there’s only so many times being hungover in a lecture is funny. And your tutor WILL bring it up, even if you think they won’t.

There’s no fall back group of friends like there was in high school. There’s a brand new world out there for you to grasp, but its up to you to reach your hand out. I won’t lie, it’s scary meeting new people when you know no one around you, but like your elders will have told you countless times everybody feels the same. Try find people before your course starts and talk to them a bit, meet up in Freshers and bond when you’re drunk as hell. Because there’s nothing like proclaiming your new found love for each other over double vodka’s and tequila shots. You WILL find friends. They’ll be the people you didn’t realise you needed.

6. Try new things.

Depending on your course, you might have a lot of free time or barely any. If you have the time, join a club you’re interested in or start something you’ve wanted to try for a while. It could be rugby, skateboarding, swimming, art, writing, politics, life drawing, reading, photography, ANYTHING! You have this time to stretch yourself and explore things you may have previously been frightened to try. It’s okay, honest. I held myself back too, even if I hadn’t realised. What you will realise of this first year is that some of the things your parents told you are stingingly true. You get what you put in so you won’t get anywhere not trying.

They worry. As annoying as it might be to hear, they will worry. A few texts a week, a Skype or Facetime here and there or a phone call on Fridays make all the difference. And after weeks and months away, you’ll start to miss them. It’s unnerving that your family carries on having family dinners without you, and you won’t be hearing about their day straight from their mouths. Make the effort. Please.

You might feel stupid as hell or like your ego is getting bruised by the pity, but every little bit does help. Just make sure you thank the person a lot and try pay them back as soon as you can. We’ve all got to do things to live, so be open to help rather than letting your ego curl you up into a ball.

You really don’t need a new rubber shaped like a watermelon, do you? Or that planner, because lets face it you wont use it. When you’re a student, money is something you don’t want to be worrying about. Don’t mindlessly pick things up when you’re shopping. OH and also don’t do a food shop when you’re hungry; you’ll come back with three bottles of juice and no cereal.

Someone pretty wicked cough @HannahCargill_x cough gave me this bit of advice which helped a lot, so I’m extending it to you. Take care of yourself. Grab a coffee off campus, or buy a new lippy or book when you’re feeling low or homesick. Give yourself time by yourself and indulge to get your thoughts straightened out and back to a more stable place. This new chapter is a massive upheaval, so don’t feel guilty for wanting to escape for a bit. You’re human, it’s okay. You gotta look after yourself.

It took me 5 months to say “FUCK IT” and get a few tattoo’s I’ve wanted for so long. The nose piercing took only 2 months and the bleached stripe tucked behind my ear 6 weeks. Back home, I would never have had the balls to do anything like that, and the big guy in the sky knows just how much my mother screamed seeing each difference. But, I felt more myself. I felt more in control and more powerful, more comfortable in my skin. I felt like my outside was catching up with my inside and when people looked at me, they were seeing the ‘me’ I was proud of.

I’m not telling you to go out and do the same things, but play around with your appearance. It’s so much fun and no ones going to call you out on changing. I still love each thing of me that’s changed, even if the stripes gone and my hairs 7 inches shorter. I feel ME. So don’t be afraid to change from the high school you if you want too.

Keep in contact with people you care about. Let new people know how important they are to you. Keep up with your interests and don’t be ashamed to talk about them. They’re something that makes up the person you are today and that’s important; the people who care will know that. Don’t shrink yourself down to please others – this your time to make something of yourself. High school was background noise, this is the big bad real world. Say hello.

As much as you get educated about things in high school, you don’t know everything. Sorry but you really don’t. Learn about sexuality, gender, politics, religion etc. Don’t get stuck on prejudice you might have picked up in your hometown. You aren’t part of the ‘cool’ group of plastics and jocks, you’re just a dick with a backward view of the world. It’s 2015 and everything is changing, so get with the groove and be more open. People don’t owe it to you to change themselves, you owe it to yourself to get educated. C’mon, there’s stuff you don’t know and you want to learn more, don’t you? It’s alright, you aren’t stupid for not knowing this stuff post high school – lots of people know school doesn’t equip you enough when it comes to this stuff. Be polite when asking, rather than going on the offensive.

A big thing about coming to a new place/starting something new, is that you may feel the pressure to look good. This could be the way you dress, speak or act and so many people will feel the same. Something I’ve found being at uni, is when people are away from those they’ve known their whole life, they’re more open about things they want to try. Encourage them to do these things, please do. Some find it hard to move out of the constraints they’ve put onto themselves, but that if you have moments where you can uplift someone, do that. Treat those in a way you wish to be treated and all that.

This sorta links to the point about education. Sadly some people who come to uni aren’t all that great. Some are dickheads, just like the people you left in high school. If they say something you don’t agree with or something offensive, speak up. Seriously, it’s 2015 and people can’t keep speaking the way they are. Try not to start an argument in a tutorial, but make sure people know anything homophobic/sexist/misogynistic/transphobic etc is NOT on. No one has the excuse of being young, this is the age of an adult so pick up on what you’re saying and change it. Remarks like that are more likely to be receieved with a curt word and a dirty look than a loud laugh and murmer of agreement.

16. Do your dishes and your washing.

There is nothing worse than coming back after a day of lectures and tutorials than a pile of dirty dishes or piles of washing. It’s okay; living with other students means your halls won’t be as clean as your house back home, so you don’t need to majorly worry about cleanliness 100% of the time. But, it helps getting the boring monotomous tasks out of the way so when you’re hungover and dying for some scambled eggs or toast, you don’t have to shriek at the lack of pots and plates.

Goes hand in hand with doing your dishes and washing as soon as you can. Nothing makes a 9 am lecture worse than being unable to find your keys or tripping over clothes. AND YOU’LL END UP BEING EVEN MORE LATE SO THAT COFFEE IS OUT OF THE QUESTION.

Don’t stay in your halls when you aren’t on campus; go out and hit up the places students swarm at. Take your laptop to a coffee shop rather than being stuck in your halls, even if you’re feeling like a sterotype in Starbucks. On your days off, go to parks on nice days and grab a take away tea or coffee and just walk. Appreciate the new city you’re living in, take walks at night and see how the buildings light up. Go to concerts to bands you don’t know too well and go out to clubs as much as you can. Enjoy your first year, it’s the one year you have to be reckless and free. If you don’t want to go clubbing, go to bookshops or the cinema. Get social, grab a new friend and get to know each other over coffee so expensive it makes you wince but the taste makes you relax. Explore.

This isn’t high school anymore so if you don’t like someone, you don’t have to be around them. It’s just awkward for everyone when someone doesn’t get on with another, so don’t feel pressured to be friends with someone who makes your toes curl, and not in the good way. Some people just don’t mesh well with each other and that’s life; be respectful and kind. Kind’s nice, kind’s good and it never hurts to be a bit more kind. Respect goes hand in hand, no one likes being talked to like they’re small so try grit your teeth and let it go. Unless this person is an ass and is saying immature/uneducated things then maybe take them to a side and explain they shouldn’t be saying stuff like that. But remember, be nice about it.

No one really knows you quite like our high school friends, you’ve all grown up together and they’re one of a kind. Make time for them, give them a phone every week or so, text them when you see something that reminds you of them. Starting a new chapter in your life means some things will slide, you might forget to text someone back or go a few months with no contact. That’s okay, usually your friend is in the same box so they won’t mind. Apologise still, make sure they know that you miss them and you’re sorry you haven’t spoke in so long. Some friendships are great because when you meet up, it’s like no time has passed and you’re filling hours with funny stories and memories as you catch up. Make the effort. You won’t regret it, honest.

This goes hand and hand with the explore point. I just really want to emphasis how important getting out of your room is. Shutting away just ends with unhappiness and negative views, so grab the day by both hands and get out there.

MONEY IS WHAT YOU NEED TO LIVE, IT SUCKS BUT BEING BROKE SUCKS EVEN MORE SO JOB IS A YES. Unless obviously you’ve got a bursary and you’re going onto be a doctor and have 9 to 5 lectures then skip this point, you’re alright. You don’t need a job. Otherwise, have a look at Christmas temp jobs and earn an extra bit of cash so you can treat yourself to fun stuff. Fun stuff is what you need in life, like treating yourself to a new pair of boots when your feet are cold in your converse or going to a concert you’ve been dying to go too. I have my eye on a new Nick Grimshaw pieces from his Topman line launching soon, so a job is a yes.

Make sure your friends are safe on nights out, make sure they aren’t in a state where they’ll choke in the middle of the night (highly unlikely) and have paracetamol in the flat at all times. But if one of your flat mates is drinking lots, smoking lots and missing lots of uni don’t feel like you’ve got to be their mother and get them out of bed in the morning. It’s fantastic you care, really. But you don’t need to put yourself out for someone if they know what they’re doing. Focus on your own life and getting your work done, I know you’ll feel bad but priority uno is YOU. Remember that. And the paracetamol.

Don’t want to go clubbing? Say no. Don’t want to smoke a cigarette or a spliff? Say no. Don’t want someone grinding on you or having their hands on you? Say no. It’s powerful and you should never be in a situation you don’t feel comfortable in. Your safety is important and no one should feel bad for their decisions, they should be respected. You do what you want and don’t let someone make you feel bad for not doing what everyone else is doing. Just don't do things that'll harm others, this goes without saying.

25. Say yes to things you do.

You’re an independent adult now so you can do what you want. God, doesn’t that sound like something your 16 year old self would say to your parents mid argument *cough* tantrum? But now it’s the real deal and its scary, but you really got to do the stuff you want to do. You might shrug off those sayings as ‘cliched’ but life really is what you make it, so if you sit around doing nothing you’ll miss out. So go out and work to get to where you want to go, and say yes to the things deep down you know you’ll regret missing out on.

Health is important and vodka cranberries have a lot of sugary calories in them. The ‘Freshman 15’ is real, so better get working out to keep yourself feeling good. We all know it’s unlikely you’ll stick to it, but making the effort every one and a while is good. And there’s no high quite like finishing a spin class after feeling terrible all week.

New chapter, new world, new things. You’ve got to get an anchor in there somewhere, so don’t be afraid to let people know how much they rock. Humans grow attachments and it’s nice when someone tells you how much they like you/are glad to have met you/ how you’re a good friend. So say it to those in moments where they are just too wicked for it to go unnoticed. Sentiment is a lovely thing.

If you think the morning after a one night stand is awkward, think of the morning every day for the rest of the year. Yikes. That’ll make mornings more fun mid brew.

At the end of the day, it’s first year uni and nothing will go to plan. You won’t use your planner that much and food shopping will involve a roasted chicken or a family bag of doritos now and then. You’ll have evenings staring at Netflix with your flatmates and wailing on the kitchen counter in the mornings as a signal you want them to make you a hangover breakfast. You’ll have times when you’re broke as hell but still manage to go out, regretting it immediately the morning after and fiercely believing you’re going to get your life in order only to go out the next night. You’ll miss lectures, turn up to lectures hungover and even fall asleep in them. You’ll run around with damp hair a good few times and be close to a breakdown whenever your tutor mentions the word ‘study’ or ‘exams’ but the party after the exams is the best one yet. It will be a year of ups and downs, finding your way and getting homesick, crying into your expensive jacket you bought with your student discount in Freshers when you’re broke mid December and have 3 essays to finish. You’ll love every minute, even the minutes you think you hate it and wish to drop out. You’ll claim to drop out atleast 3 times a month and drive your tutor demented missing important tutorials but you won’t care, because bed is nice and no one wants to learn facts when they’re hungover. It will be one of the best years of your life so make the most of it and focus on the things you love, the things you're learning and the things that you know not to do again.