A Guide to Uni Life

Get the lowdown on everything from your studies, lifestyle and wellbeing!
 
The Life Balance
 
Most of us go to university hoping that it will mean a good career and enjoyable job for us somewhere in the future. The more immediate priorities, though, are usually making friends and going out. For some, finding time for work to help eke out their income is an extra factor to add to the balance.

Finding a life balance where you have time for study, friends and other activities might seem obvious but it's worth thinking about how you can fit everything in to ensure that you make the most of what university life can offer.
You also need to be aware that student life may change the nature of the relationships you have with parents, family and old school friends.

Keeping on Top of Student Life
 
Some tips for when you start university:

• Set up an email address so you can keep in touch with friends and family while you're away at university
• Buy a map of your university town so that you can get to know where things are
• Get a set of passport-sized photos taken. You'll need these for your NUS card, library card etc
• Sort out your bank account as early as possible so you do not have to queue up with everyone else when you get there
• Make a list of everything you might need to take with you. Being the only person who's remembered to bring a can opener can make you very popular
• Set up Student Insurance to cover your valuables while you're at university. It doesn't cost much and could make a big difference to you
• Don't forget to change your address and let everyone know.

Freshers Week

The first week of Uni is the highlight of the year for many: it can be non-stop partying, meeting new people, and experiencing new things if you do it right!
Freshers' week is organised by existing students. The week is hectic and involves the chance to join clubs and societies within the college. It also usually offers any of a range of events from gigs, speed meet & greets, fancy dress nights and the traditional pub crawls.
You will be sent a list of the Freshers Week activities before you start, so you can decide what you want to do!
Alcohol is an inevitable part of student life, especially in Freshers' week. Most students partake (some more than others!) and, if you're one of them, you'll become more aware of how awful hangovers can be.
For more information on alcohol related issues visit the NHS Direct Online.

Tip: There is no magic hangover cure - seriously! A hangover is caused when the body dehydrates. The only way to get back to normal is to drink plenty of water, eat, and give it time.

Budgeting

With many thousands of £s sitting in your newly opened current account you may feel Christmas has come early and the temptation to spend is great. What you need to remember is that the money you have at the start of term may have to last throughout the term and beyond, until you receive your next loan cheque or other income.
It's a good idea to plan a budget - and an even better one to stick to it. Make sure your plan is realistic – allowing a reasonable amount for going out as well as essentials like food and accommodation.
You need to decide whether you're budgeting for term time spending only, or for the whole year. Some students, especially those living in halls of residence, may budget on a term basis if they plan to return home during the holidays.

A simple way to budget is to take your total income over a set period of time and divide by the relevant number of weeks or months. So, for example, if you want to work out a monthly budget for the whole year, you need to divide your expected annual income by 12 to give you your monthly income (£0000/12 = £000). Don't build in income assumptions that may not come off. For example, don't plan a yearly budget based on your income from the Student Loan Company with an assumption that you'll earn ££s doing a summer bar job that you don’t already have.
Once you've established your monthly income, you need to set out your spending. Start with fixed and essential outgoings – like rent, bills and travel costs. Then list all your other, less fixed outgoings – food, clothes, entertainment and so on. Add up the outgoings.
If the balance is positive, you've established a budget that you can live within, but if you then have a negative budget it means one of two things if you want to avoid running into more debt:

• You need to cut back on the non-essentials to make the budget balance
• You need to find a way to increase your income.

For many students balancing their budget causes as much stress as sitting finals. If you think you'll be heading towards a significant budget deficit before your next income comes through, don't ignore it. Talk to your bank, student union rep or parents.

Student Accommodation

If you leave home to go to university you'll need to think about where you're going to live. The main options are university managed accommodation, such as halls of residence or renting within the private sector. 

Halls of Residence
 
Though many people describe university accommodation as Halls of residence, commonly known as `Halls', this does not accurately describe the range of accommodation a university may be able to offer.
At BMC our Halls are located at our Brooksby Campus, just 15 mins from Melton Mowbray and 30 mins from Leicester and Nottingham City centres.
Halls cost between £90 – 100 per week including all utility bills and includes a full year local bus pass so you can get around the local area for free.

 
Private Rented Sector
 
We also offer lots of shared rented accommodation in Melton Mowbray. Houses are usually divided into individual bedrooms with common areas such as kitchen, bathroom and a sitting room. Quite often a group of friends will get together and share the cost of the rental between them.
We also offer 'lodgings', with this type of accommodation you may get a room, access to a bathroom and sometimes meals provided.

Studying & Exams

We all treat studying differently: some adore their subjects and can spend every waking moment reading and thinking about their course. The majority probably like most aspects of their course and university but distractions can seem much more interesting and attractive at times. And there are some who hate the course and the university they attend.

Hopefully you won't be in the last group and you'll have given some thought before you go to university to what you want to study and where you'd like to go. Thinking ahead can alleviate disappointment further down the line.

Once here you'll soon become aware of your schedule of lectures and tutorials, the books to read and the papers you'll need to write. You'll also be aware of the exam timetable that may be looming in the distance.

How you tackle the work ahead and balance that with the social aspects of university varies, but here are some simple tips to think about when dealing with course work:
Know yourself - work at your own pace and in your own style. For example, if you worry about meeting deadlines, give yourself plenty of time to do the work, even if it means missing the odd night out with friends.

Make the most of the range of ways that university offers to learn – attend lectures as well as tutorials and get to know your lecturers.

Take a break - if you're losing concentration or have writers' block, walk away from the work and have a coffee or read the paper to help refocus

Plan periods when you don't study - make the most of it by doing something you enjoy – don't spend all your non-study time sitting with others moaning about the course.