If you imagine what university life will
entail, you’ll probably picture sleepless nights of ruffling through the pages
of your textbook, struggling to write 1,000-word essays and pretending to
understand an impossible syllabus.
But what if we told you that some of the most
important lessons in university happen outside the
classroom?
Here are 9 non-academic lessons no first-year student
should survive without during their first week on campus. Let’s go!
#1.
Orientation week is important
Often considered “for geeks only”, orientation week is, in fact, a great
way to familiarise yourself with your campus grounds, which
you’ll be thanking yourself later when you’re rushing to class the week after.
It’s also the perfect way to network with seniors for secondhand textbooks and
get tips about the courses you’ll be taking, in addition to getting to know
other freshies and building your circle of friends.
#2. Where to
get your grub on
Gone are the days of being limited to the same old canteen food
at every lunch break. Depending on your campus, you may find yourself with a
plethora of options to choose from, which leads to a new problem — where
should you go for food?
But fear not! Your seniors can give you the
lowdown on the best noms around
your campus. You’ll want to take note of what’s cheap for
your daily meals, what’s easy as a quick snack
in between classes and what’s good for
your weekend splurge. This will not only help you stay on budget but avoid
those subtle “I need more money” texts to mum and dad.
#3. It pays
to hunt down the best wifi hubs early
Although it’s likely that your entire campus
is fitted with wifi, there are bound to be key areas with the strongest
wifi for all your streaming research
needs, be it the library, study rooms or computer labs.
So, scout these hot spots early in your semester to avoid the
painful process of downloading your notes, viewing online course materials or
googling research papers over a poor bandwidth at crunch time.
#4. Never
underestimate the battle for parking spots
It’s useful to know how
early you have to come every day to grab the convenient ones. After all, you don’t want to make a habit out of
wrestling for a parking spot with another uni mate daily and head to class
late.
Pro
Tip: Think you can
get away with squeezing your car in any empty space available? Think again.
Most universities have strict rules with regards to parking, so only park at designated areas. You don’t want to be
slapped with a hefty fine for parking illegally in the first week of
university.
#5. Student
housing will test your patience
Next — household chores. No matter what your inner voice
tells you, you’ll have to do laundry at some point. This goes for cleaning the
bathroom, washing your dishes and other menial work you’ve been casually
leaving for mum to do at home.
If you don’t know where to start, don’t be afraid to ask your friends to help you out, or
just drop your mum a text! A healthy living
environment is essential to improve your study productivity and coming
home to a spotless room and a tidy bed after a long day of class will be a
treat.
#6. Friends
are everything
Having a mate you can rely on from week 1 of university can
be super helpful. You’ll likely need help figuring out administrative
matters, navigating a larger-than-life campus or for some company during a
meal.
As the weeks go on, you might find that the homies you made in
the first week have drifted apart from you. But don’t despair! This is
normal as both you and your friends are bound to have a wider circle of friends
as you progress through the semester.
Pro
Tip: Feeling too shy to
talk to your new classmates? Here’s an introvert’s guide to
making friends!
#7. Sleep
will be a thing of the past
In addition to the endless tests and exams
you’ll be burning the midnight oil for, late night mamak sessions and post-midnight McDonald’s runs
are going to be a staple throughout your degree life.
As they say in university, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
Although the adrenaline from your newfound
freedom is enough to keep you awake for 3 days straight, it’s important to
get enough sleep and avoid pulling all-nighters as
there are many negative emotional and physical consequences to your
health. The first few weeks of university are the perfect time to get some
shut-eye before your tutorials and assignments begin to pile
up, turning your “zen” nights into hectic ones.
So get your recommended hours of sleep. After all, you don’t
want to burn out in your first year of university!
#8. Home is
where the heart is
To avoid homesickness, try to make yourself feel at home
while on campus. You can do this by finding comfy spots of solitude
for you to study, read or watch TV series in between classes. Alternatively,
push yourself to mix and mingle with your coursemates.
Having a squad you can turn to when you’re feeling down is essential to your
general well-being while at university.
Most importantly, keep in touch with your friends and family from back home.
Remember, they’re only a phone call away!
#9. Living on
campus can be awesome
One of the coolest parts about living on or
around campus grounds is being only minutes away
from class. That means going from bed to bench in less than 30 minutes!
You’ll find that the campus surroundings are
always buzzing with excitement, even late into the night. Being so close
to the action also means more opportunities for you to
get involved in campus events, clubs and societies that can
massively boost your CV and
amp up your degree days.
While living on your own comes with its
challenges, you’ll soon realise that you wouldn’t have it any other way. Making
your own decisions and constantly being surrounded by your best friends? Heck yeah!
It may be tough to
process everything in one week, but rest assured you’ll soon ease into it.
There’s no denying that university life is a drastic change from your
secondary school days, but you won’t be going through it alone.
University can be an incredibly rewarding experience so enjoy yourself and soak
it all in!