Managing university life: My top tips from staying organised to budgeting

With freshers across the country about to embark on university and three years (at least) of undergraduate study, I thought I would share my top tips for managing university life.

Graduation

Be organised

Good organisation is key to managing university life and it’s a great excuse for an epic stationery haul!

You need notepads, pens, a wall planner and I would also recommend a small diary to jot down your lecture times and any fun socials to carry with you. Unless of course you do are someone who manages their life through various apps and online calendars, then of course do that instead.

I personally can’t cope with disorganised people; if you’re old enough to leave home, you’re old enough to get a handle on where you need to be at certain times of the day and week.

But being organised doesn’t just apply to ensuring you turn up to lectures fully prepared, managing university life encompasses study, home and socials, things like making sure there’s milk in the fridge and food in the cupboard; there’s a shared cleaning rota in place etc.

Join a club or society

Without going all Pitch Perfect on you (which is a great film by the way), there are so many benefits to joining a club or society during your time at university that goes far beyond just meeting people.

Depending on where you are going, I can almost guarantee that there is a club for everything and if there isn’t, start one! While at university, I joined the Equestrian Society and in my 2nd & 3rd years became Vice President then President.

This definitely isn’t for everyone and I gave myself a lot of extra work to manage, but if you’re someone that likes to get involved then getting yourself elected onto a club or society committee can be a lot of fun and looks great on your CV.

Get acquainted with the university library & second-hand book shops

This sounds quite geeky but honestly, if you want to do well, you need to keep up with all the suggested reading, and academic books can be very expensive, particularly on a student budget.

The university library will stock everything and if they don’t, they can source it for you if you tell them. Also, I can’t recommend finding out which local second-hand book shops and charity shops stock academic books. Of course you won’t find everything you need but you’ll be surprised what crops up with regular scouting.

Budget

Unless you’re fortunate enough to have parents that can afford your course fees, rent and general living expenses during your time at university, you’re going to be heavily relying on a student loan and likely, a part-time job to keep you afloat.

I actually think managing university life on a student budget, and maintaining a part-time job around studying are great skills to learn and adds to the experience.

Enjoy yourself!

It’s unlikely you will get this time again in your life so make the most of it –study hard so you have something to show for your time at university, but also ensure you get out, join clubs and socialise so you can meet people and share in new experiences.

You’ll never know what you learn and who you meet at university could impact your life later for the better.

If you are about to head off to university for the first time, good luck! If you’ve already been like I have, what are your top tips for managing university life?

Until next time x

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