Moving away to university and living in student accommodation is a fantastic experience if you embrace it, learn how to look after yourself, socialise and make new friends, work hard and focus on your studies. There are many different aspects to university life. I have put together some tips and tricks that I have learnt from my own university life experience at Brunel University London on how to make the most of it.
Get to know a wider variety of people
Your first few weeks are very important to how you settle into your new town and university life. Freshers' week and beyond are the best times to integrate into your new life. You will spend a lot of time at university, in your student accommodation (if you chose to live away from home), and around the town you’ll be living in for the next few years. You can learn about new cultures and meet new people through your Student Union.
The Union of Brunel Students has 140+ clubs and societies you can join, ranging from cultural, national, sports, and social societies. Brunel is a very international university, which means you can find students from all walks of life. Getting to know a wider variety of people will make your university experience instantly more memorable.
Take a proactive role in learning
This may be an obvious point, but as students we have a tendency to forget the importance of learning during our university years—especially while managing deadlines, trying to moderate our caffeine intake, and dragging our heels and sleep-deprived selves to our morning classes.
During your university years at Brunel, you will have the chance to taste-test different programmes, learn from experts in diverse fields, and explore your passions to tailor your academic and career paths.
Do activities outside of your course
University is where you can follow your passions. You can do activities outside of your course such as joining a dance class, learning a new language, cycling with your friends, and more. If you have a passion for something, you can most likely follow it in your university life. Other activities can relieve stress and help focus on studies when required.
Brunel has free modern language classes for you to discover and meet new people. As Brunel is a campus-based university, there are many activities on campus that you can explore with your friends.
Work part-time if you can
Working part-time at a university can be a very worthwhile experience. Even if you’re only working in a café or doing some tutoring rather than something relevant to your future career, it’s still good for your CV that you showed up and did a job while studying as a full-time student. The other big advantage of having a part-time job, is that it allows you to supplement your student loan with some extra cash.
Brunel Job Shop can help you find paid part-time jobs on or off campus while studying as a student.
Get engaged and keep an eye out for opportunities
Despite what you may think, university life isn’t just about hitting the books. Along with taking advantage of the numerous learning opportunities that are now accessible to you, enrich your student life by getting involved outside the classroom.
You can get involved with non-academic activities like joining a society or a club, volunteering, doing an internship, and more. The best part is that Brunel recognises students who get involved in non-academic activities by rewarding them with Brunel Plus Awards. Personally, the activities I pursued outside the lecture hall taught me valuable lessons.
Most importantly, do not forget to have fun, as these will be the best years of your life!