No Longer a Fresher…

Time flies when you’re having fun. My first year at uni certainly has and all in all it’s been a good year. I’ve learnt things about life, myself and of course journalism.

There are certain things that I think just have to be done in your first year at university to be a top fresher. I’d like to think I’ve done a few of them.

Joining a society is definitely something I would encourage to any first year. It’s just another new group of people to mingle with. The Winchester Volleyball team has given me a lot of entertainment over the past few months and holds several of my highlights from the year.

The great thing about joining a society, particularly sports is that at Winchester at least, and I’m sure at other universities, it’s not all serious and competitive. People do join for the social aspect which is definitely what I did and it’s fair to say that volleyball is a team that prides itself on being more of a social team.

For a lot of sports societies the big event is sports tour which I decided to buy a ticket for just a few days before the January deadline and I’m so glad I did. It was one of the best weeks ever and a proper boozy, student time. It’s even quite fun as a fresher to get dicked on by seniors. I would advise anyone on a sports team to go on tour, it’s not to be missed.

Of course it’s not all fun and games. One of the major factors of being a student is finance. I was one of the lucky ones in that my loan and grant covered my accommodation with a good amount left over for myself. I also had a fair bit saved up from my job back home. Seriously though, never underestimate how much money you will need as a student. A tenner here, a fiver there, it all adds up. I just about survived until the end of second semester and came two pounds from my overdraft. Luckily I now have a job in Winchester and its treating my bank account nicely.

I really wouldn’t wait around to get a part time job. I started looking properly in January and didn’t have one until the end of March and looking at the circumstances, it was pure luck that I went there for lunch with my mum and happened too ask about any jobs.

Although it may not be the most fun summer, I’m staying in Winchester for the majority to work and save for year two. Also I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to keep it once second year starts. With 9/10am starts every day I don’t know how long I’ll be able to cope with getting home at 4am from working at a bar. I do love the job though and I definitely prefer the people to 

my last job.

Let’s now not forget the reason I’m at university; the degree. I think you know after the first few weeks if you made the right choice or not and I know I did. The course itself is awesome and the people on it are also great. The good thing about doing journalism at Winchester is that it’s not a big course in terms of the number of students. There’s about 40 of us which means there’s no excuse to not at least know everyone’s name. The great thing about a smaller course as well is that it’s much easier to be social with each other outside of lectures. There have been many a pub trip and nights out to the SU with journalism.

Now that first year is coming to an end it’s a weird feeling knowing that I won’t see my closest uni friends for three months. It’s also weird to think I’ll be moving into a proper house in July. I think that’s when it will hit that I am no longer a fresher and everything piece of work I do actually matters, so it’s not okay to scrape through with a 40% because I was out the night before.

However, if this year’s anything to go by, second year’s going to be a blast (okay, with a bit work work!)

R.

Money, money, money

Being a university student that is almost halfway through their second semester, I have noticed that the main topic of conversation, other than drunken stories, is money. 

I am now reaching the point where I have to except that my overdraft will be in use by the end of term. 

The bulk of my money this term has been spent of tour in April. Don't forget about all the extras that come with it. I'm now having to spend £80 on a passport renewal.

Then there is the ridiculous amounts that get spent on takeout. It may seem like just a fiver at the time, but trust me you will regret it later.

Birthdays are another thing. Of course we all want to celebrate our flatmate's and our friend's birthdays, but remember that this does add up. There's the present, the decorations, the meal and of course the night out, and don't forget taxi money.

Its important to remember that there will be payments every few weeks that you weren't anticipating.  Just yesterday I had to buy a new pair of headphones off Amazon because mine decided to give up the ghost. ALWAYS go for free delivery, no matter how long it takes. The days of agony, anticipation and disappointment when they don't arrive on the first day stated will be worth it when you review your next bank statement.

There are other small things that can be done for a slightly cheaper student life. I've started buying Quorn rather than actual meat because its so much cheaper and no risk of food poisoning. Also it's so much nicer not having to plan meals in advance in case you need to defrost something.

Buy the supermarket's own brand products and always look for the deals. Just today I saved £7.00 on my food shop from doing this. Also, Poundland is a God send. One pound for a bottle of Heinz tomato ketchup? Yes please.

I cannot tell you how glad I am I saved the majority of my paychecks from my old job for uni. It's the only thing that's got me through this year, because let's face it, student loans are complete bull****. I'm fortunate that I have money left over after my accommodation fee goes out, but some people aren't so lucky. This is the one time in life when you're glad your parents have a terribly paid job and you have younger siblings that live at home. 

I think it is important to point out however, that you can be as careful and stingy as you like, but at the end of the day, living without parents and university life in general is expensive. There's simply no way round it. If you can get through uni without having to once worry about money, then every student out there hates you right now. 

I think it's safe to say, the adult world can really suck sometimes.

But it's also the best thing ever.

The REAL Important Questions when leaving home

Leaving home is an step we all take at some point in our lives. I'm doing it now at 18, having just moved into my new flat at Winchester University. Your parents or guardians or other mature adults you live with always try to give you little pearls of wisdom when you leave that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Such nuggets include, "Never set up a direct debit on a credit card" or the classic, "don't spend all your money on alcohol so you can't pay the rent and end up in debt with an interest rate overdraft". 

These problems however, are nothing compared to the real world problems I have come across in the past three days. The utter confusion of having three different cleaning products - Cif, bleach and disinfectant. Or the threatening question of whether a blue and black stripey dress should go in the white or coloured wash.

 Luckily however, it appears I am not alone in dealing with these problems as my flatmates all seem to share the same issues. So although we may have perils to deal with along the way, like trying not to accidentally stain the carpet with bleach, I know that the next three years will be some of the most important in becoming fully grown adults.

Oh, and getting the degree at the end obviously.