Housemates

I can tell you right now that I adore all of my housemates.
I’m extremely lucky (apart from the fact that I don’t have an en-suite).

Everyone else’s housemates aren’t the best. Mine are brilliant. We share things, and can clean up the house in half an hour. I love them. They’ve made me feel so comfortable from the get-go, I still feel like I’m the newcomer but it’s not so bad. It’s more how everyone can just sit in the living room watching TV – we have a TV license! – chatting. We’re always in the living room, never in our bedrooms like the other Unilets.

On the first night, we drank loads and played games – this lot can drink! – and by the morning I was officially a housemate.

I know that everyone has different personalities; different ways of looking at things and generally, people will clash. That’s a given. I haven’t ruled this out with my housemates but I’m pretty sure we’ll be okay for now. Everyone gets on so well – we’re a perfect fit. (I hope I haven’t jinxed that now…)

I want to be the best housemate but I know that I will mess up from time to time – it’s natural especially with me around. I've already spilt beer down my housemate, I hardly washed up but I hoover and I clean a lot.

I guess that the only problem is the shower and toilet situation. One housemate has a en-suite but the rest of us, all 6 of us, have to share one shower and two separate toilets. It's a dash to use the showers on a night out but generally so far, we talk about it. No one has walked in on one another yet (thank goodness)!

We go out most nights - I love it! The night we spend in is Saturday so we play drinking games, watch Lee Evans and play FIFA or COD... (well I don't do that bit)

Hopefully yours are as great as mine. But if not, remember that people are different and not everyone will be like you. Try to get on with everyone, if you can...

Tweet

Survival of a University Student =)

First Day At Uni (gulp) !

At first you're supposed to enrol and all my housemates said it took about 20 minutes, so imagine my utter surprise when I find out that my timetable says I'm in until four pm.
Oh yes, add to the fact that my College hasn't told me that I have to collect my BTEC certificate from them meaning its going to be hard to enrol. My morning has been ruined and I've been awake for about an hour.

I wandered around campus for a bit trying to find where to enrol, finally I found it 5 minutes to spare, then a girl sits next to me and her favourite band is my favourite. I've met one friend. I'm thinking this is it, this is my best friend from now on... This is what everyone talks about!

The introduction is slightly boring but I have my new friend to talk to.
My new friend and I find out that on a Monday we don't start our lectures until 5pm and finish at 7pm. However, on a good note Friday's are free, we all cheer excitedly. But apparently the time that is free on our timetable is basically all used up due to the amount of group work we do. Cue for all the happy faces to drop so dramatically that it could actually come off as comical. We are gutted!

When we finally go through the course, I'm actually finding it interesting! Since I had actually no clue what we would be doing for the next year.

It strikes 1pm and I'm sitting on my own in the Uni cafe feeling very bored and very much like I want to leave and go back to work.
I haven't even started university officially yet!

Looking this lonely is not my highest point so I've treated myself to a chocolate binge.
No nice looking boys wandering around at this point but I'm hopeful. My class is mainly made up of girls with 6 boys and the book that we need costs around £42. Yes, its not a typo £42!!!!!!!!

But, besides of all that, and I hope I won't jinx it, I think I might like it.
I've seen people wandering around looking just as glum and zombie like as me.

And I'm going to quote what everyone else has been saying, they really are on the same boat as me or there are some really glum looking people around Bournemouth..

Okay my battery is low, I've had to get my dad to calm me down and I had to wander aimlessly for the room where I did Ice breaker sessions with the people I will call class-mates for the next year.

And who said University wasn't fun!??

Tweet

Survival of a University Student =)

Getting Keys & My First Night

Getting into that car was so hard. Heck, packing everything into the car was hard. I kept on telling myself to take one step at a time but still as we drew nearer to my university, I was so freaking nervous. I wanted the whole world to stop.

I bravely got out of the car and made my way to where the key collection place was. My heart was beating too fast, my adrenaline kicked in and my stomach in knots from last night’s Thai and today’s nervousness.

But I did it! I did it all - I got the keys, got the directions to the campus to the house and went shopping to tidy it up!

The place was musky and it smelt old. But the room itself could hold at least five people in it with a sink, closet, drawers and a computer table. I’m on the top floor, the attic, the loft, my own university room. It’s great but weird and I don’t really know how to react.

Inside my head I was thinking of ways to keep my parents with me but they left, all smiles and “we know you can do it” voices though I really doubted myself. I was so nervous that I hardly talked. Until the conversations about TV show and weird hospital tales came up. I was all talk then.

So my advice would be that if you feel like you can’t do it, like I did, just try.

The most you can ever do is try.

I’m actually glad that on my first night I was pretty tipsy. It took away all the anxiousness that I felt and was left with the feeling of “I need to get into bed.” Unfortunately for me I’m on the top floor and that means three flights of stairs.

I am going to have to remember that…

My room is dark and cold with a tiny radiator that doesn’t even do any justice to my room but I have loads of space. A horrible single bed that yes, I have nearly fallen out of twice because I’m so used to my double back at home. My sink is actually useful but the trip down the stairs to the bathroom is a trek. Oh, add onto that that the toilet is leaking and it’s silly since we have to share two toilets and one shower between six other people. It’s a good thing that I like my housemates.

I’ve seen the other house’s and they are not like ours. They’re more modern with better furniture – our sofa is the colour of bogey and severely broken – but this house is a proper house. It’s good for what it is. Especially with my housemates, this place will be a proper home in no time.

First Night Out

My first night out was different. I’m going to tell you from the start since it’s such a weird little story – well for me it was anyway.

I was very hung-over (but not to the point of being sick, thank Goodness) and I literally made myself get out of bed. I went downstairs, said hello to everyone – my new housemates, I was still getting used to how weird it was – I ate some but not loads since I didn’t think my stomach could handle it and then we all got changed and went shopping. My first ever shopping trip – to buy food that I have to cook myself, daunting or what!?

Thank goodness for my grandparents giving my money for such things as food.

When we got back, we ate, got changed had pre-drinks and then we went round to the other Unilet house round the corner for more pre-drinks.

Then the walk to my first ever night out!

The new housemates and neighbours asked questions all quite drunk while my stomach is churning and the thought of more drinks hurts.

Earlier on that day we tried to get my wristband, but the place was closed so it meant that the rest of my housemates/neighbours went through while I waited in the freezing cold. It wasn’t all bad. It only took me an hour to get to the front of the queue, even with some boys pushing in front and I met a couple of nice people too – the boys that pushed in and three girls who were very cold.

Want to know what the best part was?

Three people from the front I got a phone call saying that everyone was leaving. Imagine my surprise when I find out that the nightclub was quite rubbish and so from then we headed into town. We found a cheap bar that reminded me of one from home and then we ventured into Walkabout. Oh yes, we have a Walkabout! My town is crawling with bar, clubs, a karaoke bar, all night Subways and KFC’s.

Coming out of the club we got a subway, saw a fight and got in the cab. From there we walked up a creepy alleyway and then onto of that, watched my male housemates get a drawer out of the bushes, push it to our neighbours door playing knock down ginger with it. We didn’t go to bed ‘til MUCH later…

Good night all in all don’t you think?

Tweet

Survival of a University Student =)

Leaving Your Mates Behind.

You could be like me and have serious second thoughts about going University for the pure fact that you're going to leave your mates behind.
Or, you could be like a lot of others and already have your bags packed raring to go.

It's a bloody difficult topic.
 

Case Study 1:
"Lucy could have gone to America to study. She had looked at different universities, extremely independent and was about to apply before the dreaded question popped into her head – apart from the obvious: how the heck am I going to afford this – am I ready to leave my life, family and mates behind?
(My first question would have been American boys but that's just me).
Long story short, Lucy's not going to America. She's going to study in London so she can be near her family and friends.”

And as much as this is a difficult topic I think it's fair to say that, there is no right or wrong answer. It's a personal choice. 

We've all heard the stories of our parent's friends and how they met their best friend at Uni.

Case Study 2:
“I love the example of Dave. One of the funniest people you will ever meet. When we were discussing universities he told me one of my favourite stories. He had walked in to his shared 'Unilet' house (more on that later) and was the first person there so he had a nosey around picked the best room before putting the kettle on and waited.

After introducing himself to three lovely girl house-mates they all sat in the kitchen drinking tea. But as much as Dave loved the thought of three girls to live with he wanted just one guy to walk through that door. Then a normal looking lad walked in. Dave thanked the heavens but the guy just said an un-enthusiastic “hi” and went in search for his room.
Dave swore under his breath thinking that he's going to have to put up with three girls and a douche-bag for four weeks before the accommodation office will let him move into halls. The douche-bag lad came down and poured himself a cup of tea.

The guy was his best man at his wedding. Apparently they bonded over tea.”
 

*
I know in my case I'm absolutely bricking it! The thought of ditching my mates - though I know I'll meet lots of new ones - scares me.
My chest caves in just a bit even as I type...

All the advice I could give is:
1. Keep telling yourself that you will see them again
2. You are going to make new friends
3. They're probably just as gutted at you leaving as you are
4. Try to spend as much time with them before you leave
5. Get them round to one of your nights out at university/ or travel down to them

Reassure yourself that it’s all a part of growing up as much as it’s about knowing that if they really are your true friends, they’ll keep in touch.

Tweet

Survival of a University Student =)

Forums

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

I've made a twitter: UniSSurvival
I'll post links to good student websites, deals and update you on everything that's happening at my University (if you're interested)

See on the Twitterverse

Survival of a University Student =)

Personal Statement/ UCAS

Now let’s talk about personal statement/ UCAS…

I probably should have posted this first but for some reason Banks and Open days were the main subjects in my head.
Your College will help you out as much as possible (I hope) but still UCAS will probably wind you up just a tad.
Checking everything over and over again can get tiresome and the dreaded Personal Statement -(gulp!)

I swear for the Personal Statement it takes forever but you will feel a thousand times better once you get that out of the way…
Mine’s pretty good – if I admit it. It got me in to University so it must have been alright!

Some passages include:
“These skills can then be combined with my own interests. I am very excited about the range of subjects that I will be able to study. I am also hoping to expand on my [entrepreneurial] thinking.”

“What I loved about the [pick a task you liked at College – mine was Business]. I'm thoughtful with leadership qualities. Other attributes I have are I'm dedicated, hardworking, sociable and reliable.”

“I have a good outlook on the plans of what might happen after university. I hope after university that I can afford to go on my gap year. I've always wanted to travel and gain experience of working out of my comfort zone. However, I know I need more independence and would hope to find that from going to University.”

“I love socialising with my friends but then again, a lot of seventeen year-olds do. I tend to read as many books as possible. From reading, I can establish new vocabulary, widen my imagination and I love how many different story plots can come out of one genre.”

“Overall, I'm a hardworking, conscientious person who would be an asset to the course and the university.” *

Advice I could give you on Personal Statements is to listen to what your teacher is telling you and the other is to use a thesaurus and a dictionary and remember everything that you’ve done so far in your life (that can be as easy or as hard as it might seem).

So stick your headphones in (or whatever you do to concentrate), water/coffee, snacks and just write until the computer screen becomes fuzzy or if you start seeing sentences when you blink.
But remember that sometimes sentences will just come to you and sometimes you will spend half an hour looking at the screen with a blank mind so you might have to keep those snacks and headphones nearby just in case you have a moment of genius…

Oh and to UCAS, prepare yourself. You will have to spend a lot of time in front of the computer checking and rechecking what you’ve just submitted.
It’s a slow but rewarding process because after, you don’t have to look at it again until the universities accept you or not – and to check your results.

It’s not nerve-wrecking at all.

Survival of a University Student =)

Tweet



*P.S if anyone tries to copy this onto their own personal statement - UCAS have their own special reader that can pick up any submitted statement and find exact passages that you’ve copied. Punishment could mean rejection from UCAS leading to un-acceptance into universities… (I wouldn’t take the risk – would you?)