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Going to university
Going to university can be an exciting time. But applying, starting, and coping with the change can bring up lots of feelings. Whatever’s on your mind, we’re here to help.
Starting university
There are lots of things you’ll need to sort out when you’re starting uni, both before you go and when you’re already there. It’s natural to feel nervous or excited about starting somewhere new.
Whether you’re getting ready to go or you’ve just started, here are some things to remember:
Get organised
There are lots of things to arrange before you start at university. It’s important to make sure you’ve not forgotten anything.
Finances
It’s important to think about and arrange your finances before going to university. You’ll need to set up a bank account if you haven’t already, lots of banks will give you offers or incentives to join as a student, so it can help to see which is best for you.
If you’re getting support via student finance, you can apply for this before starting in your course. How you apply depends on which part of the UK you live. You can ask for support at school or college, or visit one of these links:
Budgeting
A budget includes what money you’ll have coming in and how much you can spend on different things. You’ll need to think about what money you’ll be spending on accommodation, bills, food and transport. There are some costs that you’ll always have to pay, like rent, but there are other things you can cut back on, like how often you’re going out. It’s important to try to avoid spending more money than you have available.
It can help to look at discounts and ways of saving money while you’re a student. There are lots of discount cards available to students, and you can use the 16-25 railcard to save on travel (or the yLink card if you’re in Northern Ireland).
While you’re a student, you can also apply for a job to get extra income.
Accommodation
Whether you’re staying on campus, off-campus, or privately renting somewhere, it’s important to make sure you’ve arranged this.
If you’re planning on staying in university run accommodation, you can usually apply for this once you’ve accepted an offer on a course. Often places can be first come, first served, so it can help to do it as early as possible. Check with your university about what your options are.
If you have any questions, you can always contact your university’s accommodation office to ask.
What to take with you
Depending on where you’re staying, you may not have as much space as you do at home. You may need to get a few things if you’re living by yourself for the first time. UCAS has a list of the essentials to think about taking.
Your GP and other support
If you’re going to uni away from home, you may want to change your GP to somewhere nearer where you’ll be living, specially if you’ve got an ongoing health condition. Find out more about getting medical care as a student.
Check important information
When you start uni you’ll be given lots of information. It can help to make sure you’ve got:
- Your timetable
- A map or details of the campus
- The names of your tutors and anyone who’s there to support you.
- Details of the library, where you can get support, and your student union
Remember that it’s natural to have questions, and there’ll be lots of people around when you start to help.
Your university will usually have named tutors and staff who are there to support you with academic issues or anything that’s impacting your studies. Even if you don’t need to speak to them right away, it can be good to have their details saved in case you need them later.
Meeting new people
It can be hard getting to know new people sometimes, especially if you’re feeling nervous or you’re away from home. Remember that everyone is going through similar feelings.
When you start at uni, there are a few things that can help:
- Get involved with Freshers
Freshers is a great way to meet people with similar interests and to start getting to know new friends. Try to go to different events and sign up for anything that you’re interested in. - Join clubs and societies
Clubs can help you to meet people who have the same interests that you do. It can help to remind yourself that everyone joining will be new too, so you don’t need to feel confident in something before you start. - Talk to people on your course
Start conversations with people on your course and try sitting with new people to get to know them. - Spend time with people you live with
Try to use your common areas, eat meals outside of your room and arrange times to spend with the people you’re living with. - Enjoy yourself
The first few weeks of uni are a great time to relax and focus on having fun before you settle in to your routine and work.
It’s always okay to make time for yourself and to need a break, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed or you’re struggling with meeting so many people. It can help to plan in time when you’ll be able to relax as well as spending time with new people. You can also talk to your student reps if you’re struggling with anything.
Keep in touch
Moving away from your support network can feel like a big shift. Keeping in contact with the people you care about can help you to stay connected and get support when you need it.
If you’re worried about staying in contact, it can help to try:
- Setting up group chats with family or friends
- Arranging times to talk or catch-up
- Invite friends to stay, or arrange to meet half way between you
Getting support at uni
Your university will have lots of support while you’re there, speak to your student support to find out what’s available. You can also keep talking to Childline up until your 19th birthday.
5 things to remember
- Plan your finances and budget
- Sort out what you’ll need before you go
- Taking part in freshers and other events will help you get to know people
- Speak to your university if you’re unsure or you need help
- Childline’s still here for you, and anyone under 19 can talk to us
Applying for university
If you want to go to university, it’s important to think about what you want to do and to talk to your school and adults you trust about your options.
There are a few steps you’ll need to go through when applying:
- Decide which courses and universities are right for you
Speak to people at school, look at prospectuses and use UCAS to decide where to apply. Make sure you check the entry requirements for any courses you’re interested in. - Complete your application
It’s good to start this early. Register on the UCAS website and your school or college can help you with your application. You’ll need to complete a personal statement as part of this. - Prepare for any interviews
Some universities will ask for interviews or tests before you start, these are to help make sure you’re a right fit for the course you’re applying for. - Apply for your finances
Depending on your circumstances, you’ll be able to apply for student finance while you’re at uni. - Respond to any offers
Once you’ve received your offers, you’ll be able to select your first or second choice.
If you’re not accepted onto any courses you’ve applied to, it can help to speak to your school or college for advice. Lots of offers will be conditional, if you don’t meet the requirements after your results then you can still apply for places via clearing.
Coping at uni
Lots of young people talk to us about how they’re feeling at university. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone and there are lots of places to get support.
Loneliness and isolation
It’s natural to have times when you’re feeling lonely, especially when you’re somewhere new. When you're struggling with these feelings, there are things you can do to help:
- Make opportunities to spend time with people
This could mean joining a club or society, spending time with the people you live with, or starting a conversation with someone on your course. - Build yourself up
When you’re feeling down or alone, it can sometimes feel hard to accept support from other people. Making time to build your confidence and self-esteem can make it feel easier try new things. - Get support
Speak to your student support for ways to access support at uni, if you’re under 19 then you can also speak to us any time.
Feeling burnt out
It’s important to recognise the signs of feeling overwhelmed or burnt out. You might be:
- Feeling tired, overwhelmed or depressed
- Getting detached or feeling unmotivated
- Struggling to spend time with things you’ve enjoyed before
- Getting ill more often, or feeling run-down
Feeling burnt out can happen over time, but you can always to things to help yourself feel better. If you’re struggling with how you’re feeling, why not try:
- Building a healthier routine
This can include making sure you’re eating regularly, doing things you enjoy and setting yourself a healthy sleep schedule. Get more ideas. - Spend time away from work
Make time each day to do something you enjoy and get some exercise. It can help to spend time outside when you can and to keep in contact with people care about. - Set small goals
Set small, achievable goals with your work and things in your life to help keep yourself motivated. - Do things to feel calm
Look at the Calm Zone to get ideas for ways to feel calmer and more in control. - Get support
Talk to student support and to people you trust about how you’re feeling.
Where to get support
There are lots of ways to get support when you’re at uni:
- Speak to Student Support to get help from your uni
- Contact your GP to make an appointment about how you’re feeling
- Speak to a Childline counsellor if you’re under 19, or contact The Mix
Staying safe from fraud
University students can be targeted by criminals and lose money from fraud or have their bank account used for money laundering. This is when criminals move money through a bank account to hide that they have made this money illegally. There are ways you can keep yourself safe.
Student loans
Some students are being called by fraudsters pretending to be the Student Loans Company and asking them to confirm their bank details before they receive their loan. The fraudsters can then use the bank account for fraudulent activity such as money laundering. The Student Loans company will never call you to confirm your bank account details.
How to keep safe
- Never give out personal details to anybody who has just called you as they may not be who they say they are. Always call back the organisation on their official phone number that is on their website.
Tuition fees
Some fraudsters are contacting students pretending to be from their university and offering them a discount on their tuition fees if they pay them now into a certain bank account.
How to keep safe
- Check on your university’s website for the official ways for you to pay your tuition fees and don’t pay in any other way.
- If you’re unsure, contact your university’s tuition fees department to check whether you were contacted by them and that the details you have been given are correct.
Rent
When you go to university it may be the first time you’re going to rent somewhere to live. Unfortunately, there are some university students who lose money from rental fraud by paying money upfront and then finding out that the people they sent the money to are fraudsters who don’t own a property they can live in.
How to stay safe
- Avoid finding somewhere to live on social media as people aren’t always who they say they are.
- Speak to your university’s accommodation office about what they are able to provide and any other accommodation providers they can recommend.
- Use reputable property websites like Zoopla and Right Move to find accommodation.
- Be careful of property which is much cheaper than it should be. This could be a scam or there could be something wrong with the property.
- Do a reverse image search on the property photos to see if these are actually of another property.
- Do an online search for the landlord’s name and their mobile phone number.
- If you can, talk to the current tenants and ask them what the property and landlord are like.
- Don’t pay any money before seeing the property in person. This includes not paying a deposit or a holding fee.
- Request a written contract, check it thoroughly and make sure that you’re happy with it. If you’re unsure about anything then your university’s accommodation office and student union may be able to give advice.
- Don’t pay money in cash as this is untraceable.
- When you move in, take photos of any damage you notice and report them immediately to your landlord in writing.
Online shopping
Students can lose money from online shopping by entering their bank card details into a fake website so criminals can then use those details to buy other things. There have been cases where young people have tried to buy something from someone they met on social media and paid first and then got blocked by the seller and never received the item.
How to stay safe
- Only buy things from trusted websites.
- Use Trust Pilot to check the online reviews for the company.
- Don’t click on any links that you’re sent and instead go to the official website.
- Check that the website is on a secure connection with https:// at the beginning of the web address.
- Check that the website looks professional with no grammatical errors or anything else that feels suspicious.
- Check if there is the option to pay by PayPal and Klarna as fake websites don’t tend to use these payment methods as these payment services will stop the payment or refund the customer if there’s an issue with the transaction.
- Use good antivirus software for your computer and devices to ensure that nobody can spy on you.
Fake jobs
Criminals can target students with fake job adverts so they can make money from them or gain access to their bank account details which they can use for money laundering.
How to keep safe
- Don’t pay money upfront for a work opportunity, legitimate employers won’t ask you to do this.
- Be suspicious of jobs that give a disproportionate amount of money for the work that you’ll do. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.
- Be wary of anything that makes you think that the company is unprofessional such as bad spelling and grammar.
- Be wary of any job opportunity that asks for your bank details really early in the process.
- If you see jobs advertised on social media, go to the company’s official website to check that the jobs are also advertised there.
- Be careful about responding to money-making opportunities posted by social media influencers as sometimes their accounts may have been hacked.
- If you feel unsure talk to a trusted adult or to Childline.
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