Relaxing and Sleeping Better At Uni

A lot of people struggle with sleeping at night, whether it’s due to anxiety, noise or other problems. At home, I never struggled with getting to sleep so I didn’t really know how to deal with it when it started happening at university, so I hope this post can help someone else- even if you’re not at uni!

When I first moved to university, I was finding it really hard to sleep. I thought it was just settling into a new environment, but months later I was still finding it hard despite feeling as though I was ‘settled’ into my new life.

I would feel really tired so I would get into bed, and then I would lie awake for ages unable to sleep. I think there are a few reasons for this, lack of routine, noise in student accommodation and the added worries of living alone.

First of all, university is a big change in terms of routine. During sixth form, I went to college every day from 9-4 then I worked every Saturday 8:30-4. This meant I got into a structured routine with a sleeping pattern that I was strict with and I therefore found it really easy to sleep. However, at university my timetable is different every day. I start at a different time every day, and the length of time I spend at university is different. I also get three day weekends and I don’t have a job so this means three days of lie ins out of the week. So, I think this lack of routine is one reason I have been struggling.

The second thing about university is that student accommodation is noisy. My accommodation has over 700 residents, so if you’re not going on a night out you can almost guarantee someone else will be. This means that between the hours of 10pm and 12am university accommodation can be very loud with drunk people leaving to go out, music at pres etc. This is usually around the time I try to go to sleep, which makes it even more difficult-especially on the weekends.

Finally, I have found being at university quite stressful. The responsibility of having to do everything myself is quite daunting, and I find myself worrying about the most ridiculous things. Is my door locked, have I turned the oven off, have I finished all the work I need to do? These added worries that, for the most part, I’ve never had before do not help with sleeping soundly.

So, Here are My Top Tips For Sleeping Well…

Firstly, try and give yourself a better structure or routine. My personal tutor gave me some good advice, which is to try and treat university like a 9-5 job. That way you will get up early and be productive, but keep evenings and weekends free. This can also help with sleeping, through the week try your best to wake up the same time every day. On days with a early start this means you can get to uni on time, but days with a later start use the extra time in the morning to catch up on work. Try and go to sleep at the same time every night, and your body will learn these habits.
If you are stressed, try and manage this so that it’s not keeping you awake at night. For me, something that makes me stressed is whether I have done things or not. I combat this by having a diary which I write EVERYTHING I have to do in and then highlight them when I’ve completed them. This makes me feel so much better and I know that if everything has been highlighted, I have nothing to worry about.
Establish a night time routine. Try and get yourself into a routine, so for example, a hour before I want to go to bed I have an alarm that goes off. At this time, I will put on my pyjamas, do my skincare routine, clean my teeth, brush my hair and get myself ready for bed. Setting up a routine will get your body ready for sleep.
Meditate. It might sound crazy but I was really desperate and I tried meditating and honestly it helped me so much to get relaxed and ready to sleep. I used the app Headspace and I found it really helpful, it’s really worth a try.
Track your sleep. Tracking your sleep with an app or another device can be really useful to see what’s working and what is disrupting your sleep and also to track your progress with new methods. You can use a Fitbit to track your sleep via your heart rate, which is one of the reasons I’ve asked for a Fitbit for Christmas. If you don’t have a Fitbit or you’re waiting for Santa to come like me, try an app such as Sleep Cycle which tracks your sleep via the microphone on your phone listening to how much you are moving during the night. Although this is not as effective, it still gives you a better idea of how you are sleeping.

I really hope this helps as these are techniques I’d never tried before uni. They may seem a bit crazy or over the top but honestly, they have helped me so much. If you’re tired, everything you have to do in the day just seems like a massive effort so it’s really important to try and get a good sleep. So, if you’re struggling try some of these tips and see if they help!

My Favourite Affordable Makeup Products

Being a student is desperate times when it comes to living off a student loan. With food, doing your laundry and socialising to budget for there isn’t much leftover for things like makeup and clothes. Even if you’re not a student at university, if you’re working part time while at sixth form I found that just as much of a struggle trying to afford things like festivals and holidays. Or EVEN if you’re working full time, you might not want to spend your hard earned money on a £30 foundation which is fair enough. So, I’m going to show you some of my favourite affordable makeup products which won’t break the bank but will still keep your makeup looking great.

Let’s Start with Primer…

A lot of people don’t ‘believe’ in primer and while I’m not sure that it keeps my makeup on all day, I have oily skin and large pores so a primer that minimises pores and mattifies the skin helps my makeup to apply much better and smoother on my face. Recently I’ve been using the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser and I love it. It minimises my pores and mattifies my skin, making my foundation sit really nicely. The cheapest I could find this primer is it is currently £5.50 from ASOS, but it is usually around £8.

If you prefer to use just a moisturiser, I would recommend the Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser. I use this before my primer, as like it says it is a very light moisturiser. This is good for my oily skin but also for use before makeup as it doesn’t make your foundation transfer or go weird-it just helps to get that smooth look and avoid any dry patches. You can get this moisturiser for £2.10 from Waitrose, and it is also sold in most supermarkets and beauty stores. Superdrug quite often have 3 for 2 on Simple products as well, so if you like their skin care try looking there for a bargain. I normally apply moisturiser first, and then let it soak in while I do my eyebrows and eye makeup and then after that I will apply my primer.

Next is Brows…

I normally do my brows after moisturiser. I like to use a eyebrow pencil usually to get the shape of my brows and fill them in. My favourite affordable brow pencil is the NYX Micro-Brow Pencil. It has a really fine pencil on the end which is so easy to use, and it never snaps as a lot of wind-up pencils I have used tend to do. You can get this pencil for £7.19 at the minute from very.co.uk but you can also find it in most places that stock NYX for around £8. I use the shade Brunette and I find this to be a really nice brown colour, which is not too warm toned as a lot of affordable brow products tend to be.

I like to use a concealer to clean up under my brows to get them looking really neat. Although I was not the biggest fan of it for under my eyes, the Revolution Conceal and Define concealer is really good for cleaning up the brows. It has quite a thick formula and I find the wand really good for getting right into the arch of the brow. I normally put it straight on with the wand and then use a flat concealer brush to get it more precise and close to the brow. I also like to use this concealer all over my lid as a eyeshadow primer which I blend out with a slightly bigger brush. The small version which is what I have is currently £2.79 on Beauty Bay, but it is usually around £4. However, these are 4g tubes which run out VERY fast. They have now brought out a ‘supersize’ version which is around £7 and has 13g of product which I would recommend getting, its definitely worth the extra money. I use the shade C4 as I like to use a slightly lighter shade under my brow to create a highlight effect.

Now the fun part, Eyeshadow…

I absolutely love eyeshadow and just making your eyes look pretty, for me it is the most fun part of makeup! I don’t really have time to do eyeshadow on a daily basis, but when I do have time I go all out.

Regardless of what I’m doing on my eyes, I always put concealer down as a base. As I’ve already mentioned, my favourite concealer to use for this is the Revolution Conceal and Define as I like to use it to carve out my brow and then I will drag it down onto my lid. Sometimes if I don’t have time for eye makeup, I just get a fluffy brush and go over this with some bronzer to add some definition in the crease and then add mascara.

If I am doing a really colourful look or one where I want the pigmentation to really show, I don’t set the concealer on my eyes. However, most days I just wear neutral colours and smokey looks so I like to set the concealer with a little bit of loose powder because my eye lids get really oily so this helps my makeup to stay on longer. I use the RCMA No Colour Powder for this, which I will talk about later on.

Then it’s onto eyeshadow. My favourite eyeshadow palette which is REALLY affordable is the Revolution Re-Loaded Velvet Rose palette. I absolutely love the colours in this and it is only £4 from Superdrug! The shades are not the most pigmented and are a little trickier to work with and blend, but honestly for the price point I think it’s worth it. It is a mix of mattes and shimmers and they are all really wearable colours so I just think all round it is a great palette. My swatches aren’t the best but you can see how pigmented the shades are, especially some of the shimmers like shade 2 and shade 9.

Now for eyeliner, I don’t really have a specific one to recommend. I don’t really wear liquid liner a lot any more, and although the one I do use is affordable I don’t really want to recommend it because I find it really hard to work with. So if anyone has a good liquid liner they can recommend let me know! In terms of eyeliner pencils, I really like the Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl pencils. I got them in a set with lots of jewel tone colours like green and purple as well as a black and a brown, but I can only find the black and the brown shades online. They are really pigmented and glide across the eye without pulling, and they look really nice both on the lash line and in the waterline. You can get these pencils for £5.50 from Boots.

Then Lashes…

I actually don’t often wear eyelashes, unless I’m going on a night out or I’m really feeling extra. Most days I just wear mascara, and I really like the Maybelline Colossal Volume Express mascara in the shade 100% black. You can get this for £6.99 from Superdrug and honestly I just like everything about it. The wand is a really nice shape and size, and it’s smaller at the end so you can get right into the inner corner. It makes my lashes look so nice and long and thick and it has lasted me ages.

If I do wear eyelashes I usually go for Eylure ones. They have so many styles you can always find a pair that suit you and the occasion, and they are affordable and come with a really good glue which will last you ages. For a more natural look, I like the Volume No. 100 lashes which are £5.25 but you can also get them in a three pack for £14.25. For a more dramatic look, I like the Exaggerate No. 143 lashes which are £7.25. Although they are not the cheapest, they are good quality so you will be able to use them several times. If you are looking for really cheap lashes, Primark usually have good ones for £1 or £2 but I normally use a Eylure glue with them as the glue included is not the best.

Let’s Move On to The Face…

I usually apply my primer at this point, although I have already mentioned it as I wanted to talk about moisturiser too. I then go in with my foundation. I have two foundations which I really like. The first one is the Maybelline 24 hour Super Stay Full Coverage Foundation. As you can see, mine is running out and that is because it is well used. I absolutely love the coverage, the finish and the colour of this it is honestly my perfect every day foundation. The coverage is really buildable as well so it can be used for day and night. I use the shade 10 Ivory which is a really nice colour and the undertone is perfect for my skin. This is currently £6.50 from ASOS but it’s usual price is around £10.

I also absolutely love the L’Oreal True Match Foundation. I find this one a slightly higher coverage, so I usually use this when I’m going out. I have it in the shade Golden Beige which is slightly darker as I normally have fake tan on when I’m going out so I want my face to match my body. Again, I absolutely love the finish of this as it is matte but does not dry out your skin and it just makes my skin look flawless. You can also get this one for £6.50 from ASOS at the minute, but it is usually around £10.

Concealing…

I don’t really ‘contour’ anymore as such, but I do still really like to use concealer to highlight the high points of my face and also to cover dark circles under my eyes. For this purpose, I much prefer the Maybelline Instant Anti Age Eraser concealer over the revolution one I previously mentioned. I use this in the shade light and it really highlights my face and covers my dark circles without creasing or looking too cakey. The coverage is really nice and I love the sponge applicator. I apply this under my eyes, on my forehead and my chin and down my nose and blend it out with a beauty blender and it looks so nice. This concealer costs around £9.

Then Set…

I have been so excited for this part as I have found a powder which I am absolutely obsessed with. I like to use loose powder to set my face as I find it feels less cakey on my skin, but I found it really hard to find a affordable powder that did not give me flash back and make my skin have a ‘cast’ over it. But, I have finally found it! The RCMA No Colour Powder is by far the BEST powder I have used. It is affordable, does not give flashback, keeps my makeup set all day and the tub is absolutely huge so it lasts forever. It is currently £9.09 at Beauty Bay but it is normally £13 and honestly it is worth every penny. Of all these products, this is probably my favourite. You can also get it in some different shades but unless your skin is super dark I would go for the no colour one as it really reduces the flashback as it has no pigmentation. I use a beauty blender and press the powder into the areas where I have used concealer.

Time to Bronze…

I love bronzer because I love being tanned but I also love how you can use it to give the effect of having defined cheekbones etc. My favourite is the Bourjois Bronzing Powder in the shade 52. This is around £8 and it is a really nice colour and blends so nicely into the skin. It also looks and smells like chocolate which I love.

For blusher, I’m not really sure what to recommend as most of my favourite blushes are pricey. I haven’t tried many affordable ones as I don’t use a lot of blush, so they tend to last me a long time. The cheapest blush that I have that I really like is the Morphe 8W Blush Palette. This palette is £20 which I would not class as ‘affordable’ but for 8 beautiful high quality blush shades which are super pigmented, I would say it’s definitely worth the money. There is also the 8C which is the cool tone version if you prefer more cool tone blushes. Morphe do sell a single blush, but they only do it in one shade which is a dusty pink sheen and this costs £6. There are also blush trios called Blushing Babes palettes and some of them contain shades from the 8W palette and these are £12 if you are looking for a cheaper option. You can get all of these products from the Morphe website and if you’re in the UK you get free delivery if you spend over £20.

Finishing Touches…

For highlighter, I would recommend pretty much any highlighter from Makeup Revolution. I have a few but my favourite one I got in a set a while ago and it’s falling apart, but I’m pretty sure from comparing it on the website that it’s one of the Vivid Baked Highlighters but I’m not sure what shade. These single highlighters are only £3! But honestly, they have everything from singles to palettes, compacts and loose highlighters so whatever you like I’m sure you can find something. I’ve heard so many people rave about their highlighters, especially the Soph palette and the Revolution Pro 4K Highlighter palettes so just have a look on their website or in Superdrug and pick one you like- they’re all super affordable! The shade I use is kind of like a duo-chrome pink/white and honestly it looks so nice on the skin, the colour reminds me a bit of the shade that Benefit High Beam looks like on the skin so if you like that you’ll love this one. I like to put highlighter on my cheek bones, my brow bone, above my brows, my inner corner of my eye and the tip of my nose and my cupids bow to really accentuate my features.

I wanted to also quickly talk about lip products. Honestly, I don’t really wear lip products that often and a lot of the ones I do wear are Mac or Urban Decay as these are my favourites. But, I do have a few more affordable products I would like to mention. Honestly, I absolutely love Makeup Revolution and their lip glosses are another great product which you can’t really go wrong with. The I Heart Revolution glosses are only £3 and they come in loads of nice shades, and they look really nice worn alone or on top of other lip products. I also really want to try their Jewel Collection Lip Toppers which I’d never seen before but they’re only £4 and they look bomb.

I also wanted to give a quick mention to honestly my favourite lip product in the world. It is affordable, but I wasn’t sure whether to mention it as it is hard to get a hold of if you are in the UK. The Sephora Cream Lip Stain is honestly the best liquid lip formula I have ever tried. I bought one when I was in Paris in the summer and it was 10 Euro 99 cents (which is about £9.72). It is a matte lip colour which is so pigmented, doesn’t dry out your lips and just looks beautiful. I have a Kylie Cosmetics liquid lip and honestly I prefer the Sephora one. If you can get your hands on one of these, I really couldn’t recommend them more. Mine is in the shade 70 First Date and the colour is absolutely stunning. They have a whopping 64 beautiful shades available and I am going travelling in Europe next summer so I can’t wait to pick up some more shades.

Last but not Least..Setting Spray

A lot of people also don’t believe in setting spray but I think it just makes your makeup look a lot nicer and more ‘fresh’ and it helps hydrate after you have put on all your powders etc.

My favourite affordable setting spray is the LA Girl Pro Setting HD High Definition Matte Finish Setting Spray (that is a mouthful) which is normally £6 but is only £4.20 at the minute from Beauty Bay. This setting spray is the best I’ve tried at keeping my makeup on and keeping my face matte all day. The only complaint I have is that the bottle is quite small, so I went through it quite quick. But at the price point, you can afford to repurchase it.

Another setting spray I like is the Revolution Pro Fix and I use the Oil Control one as again it helps to keep me matte. I really like this one too but my only complaint with it is that it smells a bit chemical-ly as some cheaper setting sprays can do but other than that it keeps my makeup set and matte all day. You can get this for £6 from Superdrug and they also do other variations, including one with hyaluronic acid which helps to plump your skin and an illuminating one so depending what you like or what you want in a setting spray there are different options.

So that’s it really, there are enough amazing affordable products to do your full face of makeup! The only thing I haven’t included is brushes, as I use mainly Spectrum brushes which I will probably do a review of in the future. I hope you have found this helpful and can get yourself some fab beauty products that won’t break your bank!

Why I’m Turning Vegan…(Sort Of!)

“Earth is 4.5 billion years old and humans are about 300,000 years. If the earth were 45 years old, then man is 3 hours old, and his industrial revolution started less than a minute ago. In this minute, man has destroyed 80% of the forests on earth” @DrAbdullahGh_

I came across this statistic on Twitter the other day and it shocked me so much. Humans have existed for so little of earth’s time, however the impact we have had on the earth has been catastrophic. A recent study by the UN revealed that the earth has just TWELVE years before the damage done by climate change is irreversible. If we compare this to the above statistic, this would mean the earth has about 3 seconds until climate change becomes irreversible and will have a huge impact on our planet- even more so than it is now.

To me, and I’m sure to many others this is a terrifying statistic and we may feel helpless in making a change towards this. You might think other than the obvious things that most of us already do, such as recycling, saving electricity etc there’s not much the average person can do. I thought the same, so I started to look into it.

About 18% of the world’s human-produced greenhouse gases come from the meat industry. Farming animals not only uses a lot of land (leading to increased deforestation) but it also releases A LOT of greenhouse gases. Meaning that the meat and dairy industries are responsible for a large portion of global warming and the issues it is causing for modern society.

Now, can I just start by saying I am NOT turning vegan or even veggie, and I am not expecting anyone else to either. If you can and you will, then that’s great and I commend you- but I know for me that is an unrealistic goal. Meat and dairy take up such a large proportion of my diet, I would find cutting them out completely a massive challenge and would probably be unsuccessful.

BUT, little changes can make a difference. The Environmental Working Group have proven that if a family of four skips red meat one day a week for a year, this would reduce the same amount of greenhouse gases as taking your car off the road for three months. It is so easy to skip meat for one day a week, replacing it with Quorn or other substitutes and if everyone did this it would make such a big difference.

Dairy production also has huge environmental impacts, but I think swapping out dairy is something that can be done quite easily. There are lots of milk alternatives you can try, almond, soya, coconut etc. I prefer almond milk, and I find using it in porridge, on cereal, in recipes etc doesn’t make any difference to the taste or texture of most things. The only thing I don’t like almond milk in is a cup of tea, but now instead of buying two pints of regular milk, I buy a carton of almond milk and one pint of regular milk- so I have pretty much halved my dairy intake. The same with yoghurt, the flavoured Alpro soya yoghurts are so nice and honestly I can’t taste a difference.

Eating veggie or vegan is so much easier these days, there are so many products available from the supermarket that are meat and dairy free. They taste good, they’re better for the environment, they’re usually healthier and they’re usually about the same price as their ‘normal’ alternative.

As I said, I am probably never going to go full veggie or vegan – it’s just not me and that’s okay. But if we all make an effort to make some veggie choices every now and then, it can make a big impact. Try and think of meat and dairy as a ‘treat’ and save it for that kind of occasion.

So, Here’s Five Easy Swaps You Can Make…

The obvious, swapping meat for Quorn. There are so many options available now, from chicken nuggets and fish fingers to cocktail sausages and even steak! You can also get Quorn ready meals like lasagne and tikka masala. Also look out for which ones are vegan and which are veggie, not all of them are suitable for vegans.
MILK. Swap regular milk for pretty much any other type. Almond, soya and coconut are popular choices- unsweetened almond milk is my favourite and most supermarkets do own brand versions. TOP TIP- buy almond milk from the cereal aisle and not the fridges. This way you can keep it in your cupboard until you open it and it will stay fresh for longer. If you leave it in the fridge for too long it can go a bit lumpy.
Yoghurt. Alpro’s flavoured soya yoghurts are my favourite, and you can get loads of really nice flavours like strawberry and blueberry and they honestly just taste the same! If you don’t like them, try coconut milk yoghurts or other alternatives.
Tofu. To me, Tofu doesn’t really have a taste BUT the texture is quite similar to a lot of non-vegan things. Try crumbling it into a salad to mimic feta cheese, or replacing scrambled eggs with it in a breakfast sandwich or cooked breakfast (you can also get Quorn bacon and sausages!).
Stock up on protein with beans and lentils. Add beans and lentils to as many meals as you can to get the protein you might be missing from meat. If you make a lentil curry, this will produce THIRTEEN times less emissions than a beef curry.

Or, If You’re Not Ready To Go Vegan or Veggie, Here’s 5 Other Diet Changes You Can Make to Save the Planet…

Try and limit yourself to one ‘meaty’ meal a day. This way you will be cutting down on meat by a third, which will make some difference.
Or, try and have one veggie or vegan day a week. As mentioned above, this can also make a big difference especially if you get your whole family in on it. #MeatFreeMonday #TofuTuesday you get the idea…
If you don’t want to cut out meat entirely, try just cutting down. When you’re cooking, try only using half as much meat as you normally would and bulk it out with other things. For example, if you’re making a chicken curry, try using half as much chicken and then add veg. Broccoli, sweet potato and onions work really nicely in tomato-based curries such as tikka masala or rogan josh, just add the veg about halfway through cooking.
Although this can be expensive, try to buy more ‘friendly’ products. For example, free range eggs or grain fed chickens have a lot less of an impact on the environment.
If you can’t cut out meat- try just cutting out red meat, especially beef. Beef production creates twice as much emissions as pork production and four times as much as chicken.

If You’re Not Ready To Change Your Diet At All, Here’s 5 Other Things You Can do To Make a Change…

Buy a reusable straw. They’re all over, Groupon, eBay and Amazon all sell them. You can fold them up into their little holders and put them in your bag or your pocket to save the amount of plastic you are using. #SkipTheStraw.
Buy a reusable coffee cup. You might not realise, but disposable coffee cups use a lot of plastic. 20 disposable coffee cups has the same amount of plastic as one reusable cup. So, if you’re a regular coffee drinker, buy a reusable one. The Costa at my university sells them, and if you get your drink in the reusable cup you get 20p off your drink! Starbuck’s also have a reusable cup which only costs £1 (or you can get more snazzy ones for a bit more money) and you get 25p off every time you use it.
Make sure you are recycling PROPERLY. I’m sure everyone recycles, but sometimes it takes a bit more effort than regular binning. Do your research, and make sure you are putting the right things in your recycling bin for your area.
Save electricity. This might seem obvious, but switching lights off, putting layers on instead of turning on the heating and just generally saving electricity not only saves you money but it saves the planet.
Walk, cycle or take public transport. If everybody left their car at home for one day a week, imagine how much of a impact this would have. Walking or cycling will also have health benefits, but even taking the bus or car sharing is better for the environment.

Moving To University

I wanted the first post on this page to be about the thing which inspired me to create a blog and that was, university.
Moving to university has been one of the most exciting, nerve wracking and surprising things I have ever done. It has been not at all how I expected, and it has been a lot more difficult than I anticipated. I moved just over six weeks ago (which is crazy!!) but I thought it might be helpful to share some of my experiences in ‘freshers week’ as I know many people will have gone through the same, or maybe are still going through the ‘introduction’ stage to uni which is SCARY. Or maybe if you’re in year twelve or below, this will help you make a better decision about going to uni.

I wrote this in Freshers week just haven’t had the chance to post it yet… when I say moving in day is HECTIC what I actually mean are the first few weeks of university have been some of the most hectic of my life. Anyway let’s start at the beginning…
First of all, the moving in day is HECTIC. Making sure you’ve packed everything but the kitchen sink (literally) as well as surviving a long car journey with a nervous stomach is a challenge. You arrive at your accommodation and are absolutely bombarded with information, then given your keys and sent off to your room. My parents helped me to unpack all my things and it was so nice to finally be there and moved in after months of getting sorted. But then, my parents had the cheek to actually leave me alone and go home! I think that’s when it actually hit me that I was moving out.
Admittedly, the first night was hard. In fact, I maybe even found it harder than others at first. There was only me and one other girl who had moved in so far, and I had kind of been relying on getting drunk to break the social awkwardness. But, my flat mate wasn’t too keen on the idea- we spent the first night of freshers in the kitchen talking then had a early night! NOT what I had initially planned.
The next day is the weirdest experience, you wake up in a new bed, in a new flat, in a new city- and it’s scary. You have a whole day ahead with no idea what to actually do with yourself or what you’re meant to do. Thankfully, my halls of residences put on lots of freshers events for us and that night we had a ‘mixer’ in the common room. Me and my flat mate decided to go along, and we made loads of friends which was a bit of a confident boost! As my flat mate wasn’t keen on going out, I made friends with some lovely girls and went out with them and now they are some of my closest friends I’ve made so far.
I woke up on Sunday feeling a lot more confident. I had made more friends, I’d been on a night out and I felt a lot more settled. Despite my hangover, I started to feel a lot more positive about University and a lot happier. I went out again on Sunday night and was enjoying my time a lot more.
Monday morning I was feeling pretty rough, and decided to have more of a ‘chill’ day. I cleaned my flat (as it was not very clean when I moved in, with unswept floors etc) and caught up with friends from home. Then Tuesday, my ‘induction’ lectures began. I only had two in fresher week, but can I just say they were the biggest waste of time ever. I can’t even tell you one thing I learnt AND it was a nightmare getting out of bed with a hangover for 10am or even 11am starts.
On Tuesday night I went to a silent disco at the student union and honestly, it was the best night out I’ve had so far. I went with one of my new friends, but we met up with some of my friends from home and their flat mates and it was a really good night until… I woke up on Wednesday with full on freshers flu! I was honestly so ill and had to stay in the next few nights to recover. NOT a good start.
I was back out on Saturday night at a flat party which was another really good night, but it took me all of Sunday and a Chinese takeaway to recover before a brutal 10am seminar on a Monday morning (whoever did my timetable needs to sort their lives out).
And that was my freshers week really,
Here’s 10 things I learnt
1. You don’t always make friends on the first day, good things come to those who wait.
2. Your parents probably will go home and leave you alone. Don’t panic.
3. You do not have to go out and get drunk every night of freshers! Some times a chill night and pizza is a better way to get to know people than shouting at them across a night club.
4. Freshers flu is a real thing and it is BAD. Avoid at all costs.
5. Go to events, meet people, join clubs and societies, be brave.
6. Induction lectures are boring (but you should probably still go to them)
7. Despite starting school at 9am every day for 14 years, a 10am or even an 11am start feels like the crack of dawn. If you have any 9am lectures maybe now is a good time to drop out.
8. If there is a silent disco anywhere- go to it! I’ve been to quite a few at different places and they’ve always been really good.
9. You don’t realise how much you rely on your mam until you move out. I think I’ve rang her at least 6 times a day..
10. So far I’ve found that Uni is hard at times but it is also so rewarding and so much fun- I really think you get out what you put in so give everything your best shot (making friends, doing your work, downing jagerbombs etc).