Things You can do to prepare for University

Moving to university is undoubtedly one of the most daunting things I’ve ever done. It’s the first time I’ve lived away from my family, friends, my hometown and everything I’ve grown up around. But it’s also one of the most exciting things you’ll do, so try and make the most of it from day one! Here’s a list of things you can do to find your feet before it’s time to make the big move:

Join Facebook pages and group chats

There’s plenty of social media groups out there which are dedicated to future Leeds Beckett students networking with each other, making it easier to find people you’re going to be living and studying with. In the lead up to moving to university, I joined my accommodation’s ‘flat mate finder’ group and found three out of my four flat mates. This gave me time to chat and get to know them before moving in and in my opinion, this was the biggest thing that helped settle my nerves.

There’s also a Leeds Beckett Fresher group and course mate finders which also massively helped put those induction week nerves at bay. It really helped me being able to walk into my lecture theatre for the first time with someone by my side. It made the process a lot less daunting.

Attend Your Applicant Day

Open Days and Applicant Days due to Covid-19 are currently running online. They can help you get a better insight into the university and you’ll be able to find out all about the university in general, as well as the course you’ve applied for. You’ll be able to chat to your course director, some lecturers and current students too via live chat platforms. You can also chat to current students at any time outside of these online events using the Unibuddy platform.

I attended my Applicant Day after receiving a mixture of conditional and unconditional offers which left me unsure on which university to pick. My Applicant Day was what really influenced my decision to make it my firm choice. It allowed me to get a better feel for Leeds Beckett and learn more about the fantastic facilities the university and my course provides.

Practice Recipes

In the summer leading up to moving, helping around the house with things like cooking, cleaning and shopping will help you when it comes to doing these things for yourself. Helping my parents with the food shop allowed me to budget properly and know how much money I could afford to spend. Coming to uni with some recipes under your belt can help reduce stress when having to cook your own meals. Having a homely meal whilst at university can help tackle homesickness too – for me, you can’t beat good old bangers and mash. Also, having an idea of how much money a general food shop costs will help you budget, which is especially useful when on a student budget!

Research Things to do & Places to go in Leeds

Before you arrive, it’s useful to research and have an idea of certain sights you may want to see, which clubs you fancy a night out at or which shops you want to treat yourself at with your first student loan (remember not to splash it all at once though). I spent time finding out which food shops were close to my accommodation, and which clubs played what music so we didn’t end up paying entry for places we wouldn’t enjoy. Also, one really valuable thing is to locate the closest cash machine if there isn’t one in your halls – you'll always find yourself needing cash for things like taxis, buses and laundry.

Finally, just try not to forget that everyone is in the same boat as you. I tried to remind myself of this as much as I could in my first few weeks at Leeds Beckett and it really helped to put my mind at ease when I felt a bit nervous – every person in the room is most likely feeling the same way!