How to survive Freshers’ week

Leave a comment

Freshers’ Week is the most daunting week of any student’s life; moving in to a new city, meeting new people and having to look after yourself for probably the first time in your life. Do it right and Freshers’ Week can be the best experience you will ever have. Here’s how:

1.       Be approachable

Remember that everyone is in the same position as you; everyone will be nervous so try to initiate conversation. Think of unusual first questions such as “what is your favourite film?” or “what do you prefer pizza or pasta?” Asking something different will make you stick in people’s minds.

2.       Buy a door stop

Propping your door open whilst you’re in your halls means that people can come talk to you and there isn’t a door to hide behind. If you do it then the others in the flat will follow meaning that everyone can talk while they unpack. Most of the halls don’t mind you doing this as long as you shut the door when you leave as it is a fire hazard.

3.       Move in early

It can be daunting to be the first one at your new flat/home but it gives you chance to unpack and relax before your new flatmates arrive. If you do have to move in late at least make your bed so that you have a comfy bed on the first night.

4.       Bring some goodies!

The best way to make friends is to bring something you can all share. A tin of sweets or even some homemade cakes can be a really good icebreaker and will bring you all together.

5.       Stock up on food

If you have room left in the car after all your belongings, try to bring some essential food, beans, pasta, noodles, ready meals etc. During Freshers’ Week you may not have chance to eat properly so make sure you have food in your cupboard and save on the walk to the shop every time you want food.

6.       Get your music prepared

Freshers’ Week involves a lot of going out and therefore music is a must. Making a playlist that you can play whilst you are getting ready or pre-drinking can get everyone in the party mood and also helps to show off your music taste and personality.

7.       Be ready for the night out

It’s always a good idea to get an idea of where the main clubs are so that you can make your way back home in the dark. Familiarise yourself with where cash machines are near your flat/house and in town and taxi numbers if you need to get a taxi if you live further away.

8.       Find out what’s happening in advanced

Facebook and the university website are normally full of information about the events during Freshers’ Week. Once you are at the university, take a trip over the rail crossing towards Tower Bar – there are always promoters who will be giving out leaflets on the nights.

9.       Don’t go mental

Pacing yourself is definitely a must. You do not want to end up throwing up over your new friends/flatmates on the first day. Have fun but remember these people are still strangers. It may be a funny story to tell in the morning but this will be their memory of you forever.

10.   Remember to go to university

During Freshers’ Week there will be important induction lectures for your course. This will give you an insight into who is going to be teaching you, what books you may need but also your fellow course mates. Some of your best friends at university will be from your course so go along and make new friends there too.

Feel free to share your own tips and advice below.

 

5 tips on living in a shared house.

Leave a comment

student-housing_2402882b
Living with others can be hard, and even sometimes downright difficult.

If you’re a student, you’ll most likely be living in a shared house at one point in your university life.

You could be living with friends, or people you don’t really talk to.

And even if you are house sharing with your best mates, you’ll still run into difficulties.

So how do you avoid fights and conflicts? We give you some tips.

  • Always be honest with one another.It sounds simple but it’s true. By being completely honest with each other about how you feel (whether someone isn’t cleaning enough or putting effort in with everyone) your housemates will appreciate it. Plus, no one likes built up tension.
  • Don’t talk or complain about your other housemates faults/flaws behind their back.Everyone has faults. Maybe one of your housemates has really annoyed you on one particular day, but you’ll get nowhere moaning to someone else about them.
  • Make a cleaning chat or rota.If you’re in a household that has problems with cleaning, i.e. a few housemates don’t really clean up after themselves or take the bins out, then make a rota. It means everyone will participate and join in.
  • Respect each other’s space.After a busy day, all you want to do is come home and collapse into bed. Everyone feels that way at least once or twice. So if your housemates come home, say a quick hi and go straight to their rooms, don’t be offended. They just need some time to themselves.
  • Keep things light and friendly.If you have a problem with something in the house, make it known but keep it friendly and not over the top. It’ll keep a good atmosphere and the problem will get sorted out quicker. 

 

We hope our 5 tips help when living in a house with others. Let us know how you get on by commenting below. If you need any more help contact our agony aunt Laura on our agony page.

DIY home made lip scrub

Leave a comment

With the winter season brings the horror of dry skin, and what’s worse than dry skin? Dry lips.

Everyone wants smooth lips compared to flaky ones, but sometimes it’s harder to keep your lips moisturised in winter with just a lip balm.

One way to avoid painful dry lips is to use a lip scrub to get rid of excess skin whilst moisturising.

You can get lip scrubs from your local Boots, Superdrug and Lush stores… But usually they can cost quite a bit of money… So here’s our way of making your own homemade lip scrub and saving the pennies.

All you need is 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Then mix them all together.

The brown sugar works to exfoliate your lips and get rid of the dry skin. The honey and olive oil are what will make your lips feel lovely and moisturised.

Add more teaspoons of each if desired to make your perfect lip scrub.

Have you ever made your own lip scrub before? If you have, let us know how you made yours by commenting below.

75716837454730666_mf5aw8bb_f

Found via youmeandannie

Life of Pi film review

Leave a comment

The film version of Life of Pi graced our screens last December after being adapted from the book by Yann Martel.

With CGI tigers and an island full of meerkats, the film definitely looks appealing. But what actually happens in Life of Pi?

Well, the story begins as a middle aged Piscine (Pi) Patel is approached by a journalist who was told he had an excellent story to tell.

Pi then tells the journalist about his life in India as a child

when his family owned a zoo, but they had to sell it and decided to move to Canada.life-of-pi2

The family travelled by ship but a storm resulted in it sinking, with Pi being the only survivor.

It moves on to become a story in which Pi manages to cope on board on a small boat with Richard Parker (a Bengal tiger), and how he (Pi) battles with his spiritual beliefs whilst he drifts in the ocean.

Upon seeing the trailer, I did suspect that the film might have used too much CGI and it would look fake. However when I did actually see the film this wasn’t the case at all. The visuals were stunning, and the opening looks beautiful.

What was also brilliant about the film was that it stuck to the book; using little details which drew you to remember key points in the story. Suraj Sharma showed so much emotion and was the perfect person to play the role of Pi.

So to all those considering going to watch Life of Pi, it is definitely recommended. The film will stick with you for a long time afterwards. But make sure you watch it in 3D for the full effect!

Life of Pi

 

5 tips to combat the procrastination bug

Leave a comment

 

 

  • Give yourself a time pattern.
    If you know you can’t do more than an hour of work without distraction, give yourself a half an hour break. By giving yourself some rest from the assignment, it’ll give you time to relax for a while. Just remember to get back to that essay.
  • Organise yourself.
    Make sure you have everything you need before you start. Pens, pencils, laptop charger, fruit, water etc. If you prepare beforehand, you won’t have an excuse to stop working.

 

  • Make a list.
    Write down EXACTLY what you need to do for the assignment. Work your way through them one by one. By breaking your work into segments, the task won’t seem as difficult and daunting as you first thought!

 

  • Log off Facebook, Twitter and all social networking sites.
    I know I know, it’s difficult to do but it’s needed. Once you log out of your social networking sites there should be less distractions.

 

  •  Set goals.
    Spread out your work over a few days and set yourself a goal to finish by the end of each day. When you complete your goal, reward yourself with a treat. It sounds daft but hey, it works.

 

Are you a procrastinator? Sometimes students don’t even realise they procrastinate. Why don’t you take this test and see for yourself on mindtools.com?

Procrastination words written on paper with a dark background surrounding the word "NOW" in bold capitals

1 … 5 6 7 8