How to look after yourself and live independently at uni

How do you feel about starting university? If you’re thinking ‘I’m not really sure yet’ - well, you’re not the only one.

By the time you’ve reached sixth form or college, the independence of university starts to get more and more appealing.

But, for many people, the prospect of moving somewhere new is a huge life change that can bring mixed feelings.

Feeling confident about university life is easier when you feel prepared. We spoke to current students, uni staff and members of The Student Room to get their advice on the things you can be doing right now to be ready when university rolls around. Read on to find out what they have to say.

Learning to cook

Lots of new students have never had to do much cooking before, and it can seem like one of those things that are just ridiculously hard.

So, now’s the time to get your head around the basics. A good place to start is by learning a few super cheap and easy recipes.

You’ll inevitably receive about a thousand student cookbooks between now and starting uni (thanks, Auntie Carol), and of course the internet is your friend when it comes to finding easy stuff to cook. Try some out, find some favourites and nail them before you head off to halls.

UEA student George has three must-learn recipes: “Learn how to cook a chilli, learn how to cook a curry and learn how to cook a pasta dish, and then you’re sorted for life!”

Ask for help at home, if you can. UEA student Sam got her mum to teach her a few dishes, then took advantage of a classic student life hack once she got to uni. “One thing I found really helpful was teaming up with my housemates.

“We’d buy our food together and take it in turns to cook each other dinner, which made it cheaper and meant I didn’t have to cook every single day.”

And if you need even more reassurance, The Student Room member Tillytots will set your mind at ease. “In my first year I survived off pasta and stir fry... now in third year I make tagines, curries, bakes and quiches from scratch. It gets easier once you know how to do basic things and it becomes quite fun!”

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Keeping a budget

Managing your own money is another thing that needs practice. While you’re at home, you might be getting by on a few quid from a part-time job. Then you get to uni, you’ve got a big chunk of cash from your student loan and the temptation’s there to spend, spend, spend.

Getting your head around spending habits and budget making can help prevent you from going broke within the first week.

Try thinking about how you spend money in your current lifestyle. As doodle_333 puts it: “You need to sort out what you personally will want to spend - for instance if you've got hobbies/sports or if you like buying clothes, you need to think what you want to budget for them.”

Finance apps such as Mint, Snoop or PocketGuard are good for tracking your spending, while banking apps such as Monzo will divvy up your money into different spending pots so you can ringfence the cash that needs to be saved (like next month’s bill payments).

Practice with apps like these and you’ll get your head around budgeting before you even start uni.

As well as learning to budget, try to save where you can. Even if you’re putting away no more than a few quid a week, having a savings pot when you start uni will be a huge help. There are several small ways you can save some money that add up - for example, don't buy a TV licence if it isn't needed, get free contraception from clinics, buy used books for your course and ask for student discount as many places offer it with valid student ID.

"Always ask, just to be sure," comments TheGalwayGirl. "I bought some boots in the sale and asked for student discount, the shop thought about it and gave me 10% off sale price."

When you're thinking about the money you need for uni, make sure you consider all the things you'll be spending on.

"The biggest risk is that you plan for only the essentials, when in reality you need to think about the different activities you are likely to want to get involved in," says Dr Jon Sharp, director of student services at UEA.

"Plan your budget with your typical lifestyle in mind. That way you will know in advance whether you will need a part-time job to allow you to do all the things you’d like to do.

"Most importantly, however much you might want to spend a little extra make sure you avoid building up credit card debt as this is hugely expensive."

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Preparing your kit list

You may think the uni experience starts when you get the keys to your student digs, but the truth is that you’ll need to start thinking about it long before that point.

It’s never too early to start making a list of all the stuff you’ll need to bring to uni, with everything from plates and cutlery to the crucial fairy lights and posters for your room in halls.

Before you know it, you’ll be making the all-important trip to Ikea, so suss out what you’ll bring to uni from home and what you still need to buy.

The Student Room member LizzieTwoShoes shopped around to get the deals on her kit list. “I got my quilt covers, quilt and pillows on Amazon and bathroom stuff from Asda. Poundland also has some good stuff. It's never too early to start!”

Looking after your mental health

One of the great things about university is the amount of support that’s available. Starting uni is a huge life change, and settling in can take time.

UEA student Toyin knows that going to uni can take some getting used to. “Give yourself time to adjust!" she says. "You’re not going to be perfect straight away, but you will get there eventually.”

You can expect your uni to have mental health support services, which may include counselling, talking therapies and signposting to specialist support.

You will also be assigned a personal tutor in your first few days at uni, who can help you find the support you need for any mental health issues you’re experiencing.

The Student Room member Pathway had a positive experience with their uni’s mental health support services: “I struggled with my mental health in my final year but I worked through it with the help of my department, disability support worker and specialist mental health mentor.

"They took me very seriously and without their help I wouldn't have graduated with a first or at all.”

Before you get to university, you can get prepped by researching the mental health support that’s available at your uni.

Get into good habits around your work/life balance too. Your university workload will get heavy at times, but it’s important that you still make time for socialising and connecting with friends and family.

Keeping fit

Don’t worry if you hated PE at school: at uni you’ll find stacks of fitness activities that are actually enjoyable.

Freshers get inundated with invitations to taster sessions and tryouts for sports teams, so you'll be sorted whatever you want to try.

The double-win is that joining these sports societies is a brilliant way to meet new people.

Most unis also offer cut-price gym membership, and gym chains often give student discounts, so it’ll be super cheap to stay in shape. For free organised fitness, you’ll be able to find a free Parkrun event nearby.

You can find all this stuff online now. Have a look for your uni’s society pages and the student offers available in your uni city. It’s a nice way to get your head around what life is like at your uni, and it will help you feel more prepared once you get there.

Keeping your workload in check

One of the changes you’ll experience when moving from sixth form to uni is how much independent studying you’re expected to do.

You won’t be assigned ‘homework’ as such, but you will need to do lots of reading between lectures and may need to prepare presentations or exercises for seminars, so you need to stay on top of your workload.

Before you go to uni, grab yourself a study planner, where you can make a note of all your deadlines, revision sessions and reading lists.

UEA student Saj finds this helps keep him focused. “Keep a journal or diary or even just make a note of what you need to do the next day," he says. "Waking up to something you can follow helps you stay on track with what you need to accomplish.”

It's a great habit to get into. If you can make a start while you’re studying for your A-levels, it'll be like second nature by the time you're at uni.

You can also work with your coursemates to hold each other accountable and arrange study sessions for particularly tricky topics. This could be a regular arrangement or just a few hours ahead of an exam - but whatever it is, know that you’re all in the same boat, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Again, this is something you can prepare for now by trying it out with your college mates.

Can you fit in a part-time job?

If you're sure you can keep up with the workload and look after your mental health, getting a part-time job while attending university might go a long way towards helping your budget. Students have loads of choice for jobs, but you will have to put the legwork in early to snap up the most desirable.

Student union jobs are popular as they’re super easy to fit around your studies, and the shifts are pretty flexible too. You can choose from positions like working in your SU bar, or even in the campus shop, but it’s best to ask around at the beginning of the academic year to avoid the rush.

The Student Room member JKGB explains why it’s a popular job: “I worked in my SU – it was pretty good pay, and I got priority entry to events!” – what’s not to love?

Then there are more creative options, like working for your student radio station or your uni’s magazine or SU website. These may well require some relevant previous experience, so have a look online or speak to someone at your university to see how you can get involved.

Looking outside of your uni, there are all the classic part-time jobs available like retail, bar work, restaurant work or other hospitality positions, like working in a cinema or theatre.

You might find it slightly trickier to get shifts that fit around your lectures, but most managers are used to working with students in these roles – just make sure you share your availability with them upfront, or request weekend and evening shifts.

The Student Room member Notoriety recommends bar work, but also rates door supervision, saying: “It’s the same hours as bar work – so wouldn't conflict with lectures – but it’s also a less bothersome job than general bar work and a higher rate of pay.”

Dealing with homesickness at university

For most people, moving away to uni will be their first time living away from home, and many, many people feel a bit homesick at some point.

There's a lot happening at uni in those early days. If you can manage it, try to avoid going home at the first possible opportunity as this is when lots of the socialising will happen.

Video calls from your phone or laptop will help you keep in touch with friends and family back home.

If you’re really struggling, you can always book a trip home a few weeks in advance to give you something to look forward to. But the best thing to do is speak to someone, whether that’s your new flatmates, your coursemates or even your personal tutor.

It’s perfectly normal to feel homesick sometimes, but if it starts to feel overwhelming, you might want to seek some extra help so you can make the most of your time at uni.

"Lots of students get homesick and so the first thing I would advise is to talk to other students about how youre feeling," says Dr Sharp. "You might be surprised at how many of your fellow students are feeling the same!

"I would also recommend staying in touch by phone/video call and so on with friends and family at home, but also make sure that you join at least one group or society so that you get to meet new people."

xoxAngel_Kxox knows exactly how it feels to be homesick at uni: “I was ridiculously homesick for the first few days. It took all of my inner strength not to phone home and beg my parents to come and pick me up and take me home. But I'm so glad I stuck it through because I loved it in the end.”

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