Mistakes every fresher makes

It's inevitable. Every fresher is bound to make mistakes. After all, it is your first time living on your own away from your parents, so here is a little heads up to reassure you that you're not alone.

Forgetting the essentials

Packing everything for all year round into a suitcase could be proven quite difficult, so it is important not to forget the things that you actually need!

For example, items like your ID, favourite mug and coat hangers are essential items. It could be handy to do a check list before you start and tick off the items you have packed so you’re not forgetting anything!

Hiding in your room

As scary as meeting lots of new strangers sounds, it isn’t actually that bad! Remember everyone's in the same boat as you and it is important to connect and make friends, as you have to live with these people for a whole year!

Moving in is the ideal time to make new friends and to bond with your flatmates, friendship groups haven’t been formed yet, so don’t leave it too late. Just remember everyone is in the same situation as you are. So prop that door open and offer them a beer or brew and be sociable.

Leaving everything until the night before

Why does nearly every student leave their work to the last minute? All sense of planning and organising goes straight out of the window. The best time to finish that essay is not on the same morning that it’s due in.

A little forward planning and some organisation can actually help to improve those grades and decrease your stress levels. It also gives you an opportunity to reflect on the work and get a head start over your flatmates who may be rushing around to finish whilst you’re free for a night out!

Not backing up your work

You have probably heard this advice so many times before from a variety of people. However, backing up your work is essential and extremely important, especially when you have put all of that hard-earned effort into creating it in the first place!

To lose it at this point is very frustrating and stressful! We have all been in that situation, where you have to start again trying to remember the first edition. Invest in a flash drive or use online storage (for example Dropbox) as it could save your university life.

Leaving your referencing until the end

It’s fair to say referencing is everyone’s least favourite part of writing an essay (you’ll find this out soon!). However, trust us with this one, and write those references as you go along, it will save you so much time and stress.

You can also use the automatic referencing system if you have the latest Microsoft Word to help; this will save you a huge amount of time and is another simple life saver! Neil’s Toolbox is also a lifesaver when you can’t get your head around Harvard referencing.

Sleeping through your lectures

Yes, we all love to sleep! But the harsh reality is that lecture time is not the opportunity to catch up on that sleep, you came to university to learn and to gain that all important degree so you should use your time and money wisely.

If you haven’t yet perfected the morning after a night out survival routine, then only go on a night out when you can feel guilt-free the next morning.

Leaving the dishes until they go mouldy

No one likes washing up straight away, in fact, washing up at all! Although, you will like the aftermath of leaving them out even less. The same goes to emptying the bins, it’s not meant to be fun but it is definitely needed if you don’t want a smelly kitchen!

Make sure you work out a plan of action with your flatmates, decide whether you are going to clean up after yourself or as a collective group, where one person is dedicated to a certain task on set days.

Locking yourself out is a major fresher mistake

Every student has been there at least once at some point in their university lives, so it’s worth making friends with the security guards and Customer Service Assistants at your village just in case it’s you. Especially if you are the forgetful type.

Keep your keys glued to you at all times, as you don’t want to be the first person to lock themselves out and left alone after a night out at 2am in the morning. Your friends won’t appreciate you knocking on their door or calling them at that time! If you do though, check the Village Guide for the out of hours number and a team member will come to your rescue.

Looking forward to Freshers' Week? We've compiled the must-have freshers' essentials to help you get through the week. You can head back to our blogs for more ideas and advice on how to live your best student life.​