Join societies
At nearly every uni there are a vast number of societies (and sports clubs too if you’re not, like me, allergic to sport.) These meet regularly and cater for all sorts of interests from real ale to politics. They’re a great way to meet like-minded people. Often there’ll be a societies fair hosted by the student union, where each society will set up a stall and endeavour to persuade you to sign up. The trouble is that there’ll be so many different choices you might just end up leaving the venue feeling more confused about which to join than when you went in.
What’s the solution? Before you go to uni, have a think about which societies you might like to join - many student unions have a list on their website. Have a browse and make a note of a few that you like the sound of (though it’s still fun to approach some stalls at random on the day of the fair.) However, having some preferences will ensure that you don’t find yourself signing up to every society in a panic and end up bombarded with their emails for weeks.
Three minor things to buy (or borrow)
- An extension lead. Hopefully your room will have plenty of well-placed sockets, but if it doesn’t this is the solution. As someone who found the only sockets in my room behind a chest of drawers miles away from my desk, I can vouch for it.
- A permanent marker. I arrived to find that two other people had bought identical airtight containers to me. It’s good to label them so they don’t go wandering into a different kitchen cupboard.
- Two alarm clocks. At home, I had ‘human alarm clocks’ in case mine failed. For uni, realising that this wouldn’t be possible, I purchased a second alarm clock to place on my desk to force myself to get out of bed in the morning.
Written by Matthew Smith, group leader of Warwick Christian Focus, an SCM affiliated group.
Read 'Top Tips for Freshers' part one, and part three.