Richmond University Pre-Fresher's Guide*

It's a mega busy few weeks for us students and many people are wondering what to take to uni, how on earth they are going to pack it all in one car and who their new flat mates will be, but that lull between results day and acutally going to uni can drag, so what can you actually do in that time? Well, Richmond University got in contact with a post with some ideas for exactly that. So I present you all with my first ever guest post on Scrimpy Student!

Are you off to uni in September? Follow our guide to what you can do this summer to help you prepare.

Go Shopping

One of the fun bits of preparing for uni is compiling the shopping list of things you really need to take with you. Of course, what you need to buy depends on where you will be living, which could be halls, self-catering or private accommodation. You’ll need a duvet, pillow, cooking utensils, plates, bowls and cutlery unless you are going to be in halls. And how about that reading list? Don’t assume that you’ll find all those books in the library. You almost certainly won’t, but don’t despair at the cost of buying them all new. Check out student websites: you are bound to be able to buy most of them second-hand.

See Which Other University Courses Are Still Available

Find out about clearing before you get your results. It is open from mid July but really kicks in on results day on 14th August this year. Most universities already have lists of courses with available places. For example, Richmond University in London has them here: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/content/clearing-2014.aspx

Spend Time with Your Family

You may have been taking your family for granted for the past few years. Perhaps you’ve been finding your younger brother or sisters really annoying and feel embarrassed when you’re out with your mum or dad. All that is about to change, though, and the summer before you leave home is a great time to enjoy being with your family. You will miss them when they are not around you everyday.

Learn to Cook

Spend some time learning to cook a few basic recipes before you leave the comfort of home. Cooking is pretty simple, but it helps to have a decent cookery book or two. You’re going to be cooking on a budget, so practise some recipes that are cheap, nutritious and easy to make. Why not cook a few meals for your family before you go? You’ll reassure them that you will be able to look after yourself at uni and get the chance to show them you appreciate them at the same time.

Learn to cook something awesome like these MeatLust burgers, find my recipe here

Work Out Your Budget 

This is so important, yet lots of students, as they begin their university education, don’t bother and end up blowing nearly all their loan in the first few months. Before you leave, work out exactly how much money you will have to spend. This will include your maintenance loan but also any savings you may have. If your family is on a low income, you may also qualify for a maintenance grant and a special support grant. Find out if you do and apply for them as soon as possible. You can find out more at www.gov.uk/student-finance
Once you have calculated how much money you will have, work out what you need to spend it on. This will include rent, food, utility bills such as gas, electricity and water if these are not included in your rent, transport to and from uni, internet costs and television licence. Hopefully, your outgoings will be less than the money you have to spend. What’s left over will be your disposable income — money for the fun stuff such as socialising.

That's all great advice and I would really recommend that you learn to cook at least one decent meal and budgeting is seriously important, so important in fact that I wrote a post about it here. Personally I take these last few weeks of summer as a chance to relax and compose myself for all the work that's to come.

What about you guys? Any advice?

Keep it Scrimpy,
Laura.