Written by Yasmin Mohamed – Student Writer
The moment we pack our suitcases, is the moment we discover that we are adults and we are entering the real world that we were curious to discover. When I moved to my university, I was like fish out of water. Suddenly, I missed my small high school and my friends there. It was a small community that I was happy to be a part of it. Every day I learn something new about university and mistakes I made at university. Reflecting on that now, I feel that I`m a grown-up person with some experience in this world. University is the best example of the adult life where you must pay your rent, bills, etc. That`s why I thought I should write this post, you might find something useful somewhere in this post.
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Be aware of your student loan.
Unfortunately, many students are not aware that student loan is debt and that they need to repay it after graduation. Recent research from the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association revealed that more than half of 18-35-year olds with a student loan don’t consider that loan to be “debt.” I find that terrifying because students will realise the fact of their loan being a debt when they apply for a mortgage. That is why you need to do your research and figure out the amount you must pay back, so you don`t be shocked at the end of the story.
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Take advantage of students` discounts.
Many universities in the UK provide a small booklet that has discounts for students all over the city. You can save lots of money by using these discounts. Be careful, these discounts have deadlines. So, it is better to be quick.
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Use online courses that your university offers you.
Many universities offer short online courses for students who want to enhance their skills. For example, Lancaster University offers a certificate in digital skills that will teach you many things about Excel, Outlook, etc. All these courses are free and online, you can do them anywhere and anytime. Even at 3 a.m. Never say no to something free, it is something I learnt.
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Use your career hub carefully.
All universities have a Student Ambassador scheme that pays you good money. It is flexible and it is like customer services. It is a very good opportunity to have a job to save money and learn new things. Be an owl and focus your eyes on the career’s website, I`m sure your owl eyes will catch something.
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Prepare yourself at summer.
I know that summer is supposed to be the season where we throw our notebooks away and go on holidays, but I want you to do something very small. When I was a first-year student, I was quite weak with writing. However, in my summer holiday I bought a book about writing and it helped me a lot. You don`t have to study all the time, just choose something you are weak at, study it for ten minutes a day. At the end of your holiday, you will have the best ending for your holiday and the best start for your university year.
