Moving to university is something you can prepare for, of course. It’s something you can temper your nerves over, and start getting excited for. It’s also something you can get started on in advance.
For example, joining online groups filled with other students moving to the same uni can help you make connections before you even get there. And by starting to save up a couple months before your course starts, you’ll have a bit more spending money within your budget.
But once you’re at uni, with your course well underway, and plenty of nights out under your belt, there’s a few things that you can still need to get used to. And even with all that preparation, there’s no other way to get into the right mindset for certain uni-life challenges!
But we can serve you a warning in advance. As such, here are the kind of things you’re more than likely not going to feel all that ready for once you’ve settled into being a student.
Being More Active in Social Circles
When you’re at uni, it’s up to you to make friends with those around you. And while that may seem like an obvious thing to understand before you go, it’s often not a thought you actively realise.
Because university is its own little world. It’s a place where you’ve got one foot still in your teen years, and the other foot in the rapidly approaching adult world you’ll soon be a part of.
And when you’re an adult, it’s up to you to go up to people, introduce yourselves, and find some common ground to bond over. And it’s not going to work every time, but it’s certainly something you have to be ready to try out!
Think of university as a good practice ground for this. You’ll still be surrounded by other students 24/7, but it’s on you to actually show up, be friendly, and start chatting.
Paying Rent
This is likely to be the first time you, as an 18 to 20 year old, has ever had to take care of their own rent, bar a few exceptions here and there.
And as such, they’re going to need to get used to making sure there’s enough of their monthly budget left over – and that’s a pretty hard thing to do when there are so many things to spend money on!
For parents: Make sure your teen knows exactly how important it is to account for their rent first, before they put any of their other weekly budget into action.
Keeping a roof over their head, whether they’re staying at all-inclusive premium university accommodation or are living in a university halls setup, should be their top priority.
Most of all, double check they’re aware of what their PCW or PCM actually is. If they’re not 100% certain how much money they need to set aside, they’re never going to be able to pay rent without a bit of worry!
Balancing Work and Play
How much are you meant to study, complete assignments, work on group projects, and attend lectures? And how often are you supposed to give yourself free time to do what you want?
It’s a difficult balance to find, as everyone is different. You might not need to study a topic as much as the person sitting next to you in class, and what took you 3 to 4 hours to fully grasp is taking them over 15.
But you don’t want to spend all that extra time on either study or leisure – you want to get a bit of both done in between.
Structuring Your Time
Again, this feeds into that balance of work and play that we just mentioned. University doesn’t give you much in the way of external structuring – other than set class times.
But it’s up to you whether or not you actually attend these classes. And that’s why you need to get used to running by an internal structure.
Life Changes When You Go to University
And that’s a good thing! But it’s also something you need to be prepared to get used to, as these changes can happen fast! They can also leave you feeling off kilter, stressed out, and like you just want to go home again.
It takes a lot of willpower to overcome feelings like these. But when you know you might have some challenges with uni life, you’ll be much better prepared to face them when they happen
