Fresher Advice - Holly's Declassified Uni Survival Guide

Welcome to the second post in my back to uni series, 'Holly's Declassified Uni Survival Guide'. In a University full of freshers flu, last-minute assignments and the occasional hangover, Holly Smith, that's me, and well it's just me, try to do the impossible, create a guide that will help you survive university.  

(Writing that gave me major nostalgia over my childhood- what a programme!!) 

Anyway, I will try keep my usual waffle to a minimum and jump straight into the post. Today's post is all about freshers advice and things I wish I had known going into first year. University is just a roller coaster and first year can be a huge adjustment so I am here to impart some wisdom and hopefully make things as easy as possible for you, from friends to adulting. Let's get to it!

1. Don't just stick to the first people you meet.

Those first few days can be pretty overwhelming and it is so easy to cling to the first people you meet, typically your flat mate. Now while you may end up having the best flat mates ever, I think it is important to make sure you're not limiting yourself to such a small circle. Meet as many people as you can and eventually you will find your tribe. Hopefully you'll end up with a wide group of friends for all those different parts of your life. 

2. Be the plan instigator.

It is all too easy to sit there and hope somebody asks you to hang out, but I totally recommend being proactive about it. If you meet someone you click with, try arrange a plan. This is how real friendships are formed and especially during those first few weeks, keeping busy is ideal, so even if it is a little intimidating, give it a go! You could go for coffee, attend a uni event (there will be loads going on) or even just have a little movie night.

3. Don't buy everything on your reading list.

I know this can be very course dependent but typically, you don't read everything on the reading list, especially if it involves suggested wider reading. My advice is to wait until first week where they usually say if you must buy any specific text book. Also, your uni library will likely have any books you need so be sure to check that out.

4. Actually attend your lectures & seminars.

The cold hard truth is that you will very likely miss at least one, wether that be from illness or prioritising plans, but try not to miss them. Surprisingly it is a lot easier to learn the material (and do well in your exams/ assignments) when you've actually attended. Once you miss one it becomes a lot easier to miss another, and another, so unless you really can't attend (always put your health first of course) then try to turn up.

5. Get independant. 

Going to university is a big change for most people as you find yourself with this new found independance. That being said, it can sometimes feel a little intimating to try and actually be your own person and do things on your own. My advice is to really push yourself to do things on your own. Found a society you'd love to try but none of your friends are interested? Go along for a taster. Want to explore the campus? Go and find your favourite spot. All the socialising is great (it really is) but this is the time to focus on you, so make sure you do!

6. Get involved.

I can say from experience that the times I have enjoyed uni the most is when I get involved. This can mean so many different things and it is all about finding what you want to do. From volunteering to societies to attending an event, there are so many ways to immerse yourself in the university experience (besides partying - although that bit is good fun too) and for me it made a huge difference in my happiness. I recommend doing a little research, attend your freshers fair and find out how you can get involved because it can make your uni experience so much fun!

7. Stay safe (please!).

Not to sound like the mother that I am, but nothing is worth the expense of your safety. This applies to everything really but I included it here but I think it is particularly important during freshers week. For alot of people going to university provides a whole new level of responsibility and it is easy to go crazy with it. If you're drinking, just be aware of your limits and if you experiment with any other things/ substances, just please be as safe as you can. I   have seen people find themselves in not very nice situations, often alone (because you haven't made those friendships yet and some people just are not good people) so take it easy, look after yourself and others and remember you've got a whole year to enjoy. Safety first kids!

8. Register with the medical centre.

Just one more point from mother Holly - register with your uni/ closest medical centre. You might never have to use them (hopefully you won't!) or you might fracture your foot within a month, develop severe migraines and get sent to urgent care with a bad case of the flu (I guess you could say I am a little accident prone). Either way, knowing it's there for you is a relief in those times of need. Plus, it will make your parents happy- just sign up, it takes five minutes. Alright, think that is all my parenting for today.

9. Be realistic and take things for what they are.

My final peice of advice is one of the most important onces. I have seen so many people go into university expecting it to be the best thing of their entrie lives. Then, things don't go as they hoped and it totally ruins their experience. Now often there are more things at play but I am so thankful I was given this advice before I went to uni because it helped me so much. I went into my first year so excited for my course and the experience but I also new it would be difficult at times and people might not always be nice and it might take a while to find your friends and you might hate some days and THAT IS SO OK! Just because things are not perfect, doesn't mean they are not great. Enjoy it all and have your hopes and dreams and things that you want from uni, but just know that its ok if things don't go to plan. Embrace it all and enjoy what you have. Be sure of yourself and don't change for other people. It might be the best, worst and most amazing years if you allow it to be, or maybe it won't. Either way that is totally fine. It is your experience and everybodies is different. Embrace it.

I feel like I go on for ages about all this but I think that covers the main points. Have you started University yet? If you have, would you add any advice to this? Let me know.

If you're about to embark upon the wild ride that is University, I am sending you all the love, hugs and confidence to tackle it face on, just know I have your back. Enjoy it! 

Sick tips for Uni. | Blogmas 2018 | Day 4

Everybody has at least one area of their life that has been or are lacking. I had a great childhood. My parents support and love me endlessly. My siblings are my ride or dies and I have a good few solid friends who know me better than I know myself. Now that's not to say everything is perfect, but I have been pretty lucky with regards to all that. My downfall is my health, particularly in the last 3 or 4 years. Things are definitely better than before but my health still brings a lot of struggle into my life. (I'm actually working on a health update at the moment so keep your eyes peeled for that post if you're interested in my health journey!) With that said, todays post is dedicated to my top tips and tricks on how to deal with being sick while at Uni (or school or work or basically just life haha).

*Future Holly interjection*
I wrote this yesterday and I think I may be psychic because I woke up SO SICK! So as I sit here in bed with my pouding head as I try not to puke, I guess its time to follow my own advice! Anyway, back to past Holly...

Uni is essentially a germ pool where you spend 20% of your time getting sick, 60% of your time being unwell and the other 20% feeling like you're just about to come out the other end of it before we go right back to square one. Unless I have suddenly lost my ability to do maths, thats 100% of your time feeling under the weather. Now my extremely scientific and accurate results here are purely based of my experience of 1st semester and with my poor excuse of an immune system, it may no be applicable to everyone. That being said, the general concensous seems to be that you get sick alot at uni and unfortunately you don't get a say in the matter. So, as a very professional and experienced sick person, here are my sick tips for Uni... see what I did there... sick tips. Such comedy gold.

Tip 1. Remember that your health ALWAYS COMES FIRST.
Now this comes in at number one becuause it really is the most important one. If there is one thing that I have learnt over the last few years, it is the sheer importance of your health and what happens when you don't make that a priority. Let me tell you, it is not a pretty picture. Health is the centre of everything and poor health can affect every aspect of your life. When my health was at its worse I couldn't attend school, couldn't hold a job, I had to drop all my hobbies besides reading (which even then I couldn't do as much), I felt like I lost my friends, my anxiety got worse, my whole life just came to a crashing halt. Now this is a real extreme example but if you refuse to prioritise your health, there is a real possibility you could be heading to much more serious health issues. If you are sick, your priority is to be healthy again. Above everything, is your health. If you need an extension, ask for it. If your health is coming in between studies, talk to your tutor. Your health is first and any decent Uni should understand that too.

Tip 2. Do the boring healthy things
Yes, I know they are boring. They are dull and time consuming and generally not that enjoyable but there is a reason these things get repeated so often. Up the fruit and vegetable intake. Reduce the sugar intake (and I personally find reducing dairy and gluten help speed up the healing process). Drink tons of water. Take your vitamins/supplements (I personally live by Doterras -contact my mamma for more info- and blame my inconsistancy with them for the decline in my health after months of being my healthiest in years). Get some fresh air. Excersice regularly to help avoid getting sick in the first place. You know these things but somehow we forgot to do them still. Probably because its not fun, but hey you know what else isn't fun? Getting sick. Go eat an apple. (Please, you can get one in the reduced section!)

Tip 3. Manage stress!
Again, this is likely something you have heard before. Stress is bad. But, this is actually something that while I knew, I have really come to understand a little more recently, and actually I am so interested in the physcial responses to stress and just how much it can impact us. There is this fabulous video by SciShow Psych ft. Hank Green which I think summarises it all quite nicely and gives you a great insight into the power of stress - deffo reccomend giving this a cheeky watch if you've got a spare 5 mins. While we all know stress doesn't feel good, there is a good chance that its contributing to why you got sick or even why you're struggling to recover properly. This is something I am working on right now as I am a very highly strung person who is basically anxious like 78% of the time. But, what I have found useful so far is journaling, music, gentle exercise and meditiation. I do these things somewhat sporadically and think I might try a little week long experiment to see how these techniques work in practice, any body interested in that? The point is, these are all things you can incorperate into your life, even as a busy Uni student.

Tip 4. Be a lazy potato
If you are sick, you need to rest. Its annoying and inconvenient but that's just the way it is. 1 day of responsible rest will always beat a week of recovery after refusing to achknowledge your need to rest. Try and attend lectures if you can but there will be other socials. The FOMO at uni is so real but in some ways, that works to your advantage here. There is always so much going on, that is is garunteed you can find something to do once youre well enough. Lie down, sleep and rest.

Apologies if you were hoping for something revolutionary here, but the truth is that with health, there are no short cuts. It takes effort and perserverance and self dicipline but it is so worth it becasue when your'e healthy you can really live your best life.

Do you have any secret health tips? (Please tell me because I need them all)

Hope you have a lovely day and I will speak to you tomorrow,

P.S- Get well soon!