So, many of you bright young things have started or returned to Uni now. I cannot tell you how jealous I am, I’m sat here, stuck at home sending off job application after job application, so please enjoy it while it lasts folks. Even so, you probably aren’t feeling pretty lucky right now, trying to make friends, worrying about where your first lecture is and living off super noodles and toast, and I mean, who really knows how to use a washing machine? It takes years of intense training, hours at colour matching school, weeks spent studying fabrics and spin cycles. Even so, it gets much easier pretty quickly, but just for now here are some tips to help you make some friends, tips on how to wash your clothes and cook meals with follow soon, but you’ve got enough underwear for at least a month, right?
1) For if you’ve found out that you’ve got a room mate.
‘Oh my god, I can’t believe I have to share a room! What if
she goes through my clothes, or watches me when I sleep, or brings guys back
all the time?’
These were some of the thoughts crashing around in my head
when I first found out that I had to share a room. I’m sure that if you’ve
found out the same, you’ve probably thought similar, or perhaps even worse. ‘What
if she’s a serial killer?’ But, truth be told, having a room mate can be pretty
great. Of course, some people will find it hard to share, and some people wont
click but universities try pretty hard to match you up with someone you’d get
on with and more often that not, they get it right.
One of the best things about having a room mate in the first week of Uni was that I had my own captive friend. She had to spend time with me. I made sure that we went to breakfast together so I had someone to sit with, and it made it so much easier to talk to other people knowing that I already had one friend. I ended up living with my room mate throughout the whole of university. We had lots in common and I never went thirsty, that girl was boiling a kettle 24/7.
One of the best things about having a room mate in the first week of Uni was that I had my own captive friend. She had to spend time with me. I made sure that we went to breakfast together so I had someone to sit with, and it made it so much easier to talk to other people knowing that I already had one friend. I ended up living with my room mate throughout the whole of university. We had lots in common and I never went thirsty, that girl was boiling a kettle 24/7.
2) For if you don’t have a room mate.
Of course, it’s great to have your own space, you can make a
mess and sleep naked if you want but you always run the risk of turning into a
loner if you don’t make an effort straight away. Having your own room certainly
has its benefits, and if you’re in a hall where everyone has a single room,
you’ll all be in the same boat and you’ll all need to socialise. One of the
best things you can use in your first week of uni is a door stop. Ok, you may
get told off if it’s a fire door, but really no one cares. If you leave your
door open for your first few days it will be so much easier to meet people. I
spent my first day of uni wandering from room to room introducing myself as
people arrived and it was so much easier to say hi to people if their doors
were wide open. Just get off your bum,
put the kettle on and take some biscuits round to meet your neighbours, I
cannot extol the virtues to you enough of jammy dodgers and their ice breaking
capacity. An open door policy and an open biscuit tin policy will help you get
to know so many people. Not all of them will become your friends for life, but
some will, and you’ll be glad you made the effort.
