University
- Thread starter Ste
- Start date
Having put both daughters through it over the last decade I could try to put an old head on young shoulders, but you'll have to learn..
Few comments:
Pace yourself. It's a 3 year drinking fest so don't start with a debt by the end of freshers week...
Make year 1 count. Don't waste it as you'll never pull back grades or attract the right employers at the end.
Choose house mates with care. The group culture will control you.
Few comments:
Pace yourself. It's a 3 year drinking fest so don't start with a debt by the end of freshers week...
Make year 1 count. Don't waste it as you'll never pull back grades or attract the right employers at the end.
Choose house mates with care. The group culture will control you.
The sort of course I'm on and the fact I'm a little bit older than most starting (I'm 24 now) will mean it's probably not going to much of a drink fest for me, I did my drinking and mindless partying when I lived in Tenerife 
I am worried by the serious lack of money i'll be lasting on and immersion back in full time education in a very specialist and full on subject though, haven't set foot in a classroom in 6 years!
I am worried by the serious lack of money i'll be lasting on and immersion back in full time education in a very specialist and full on subject though, haven't set foot in a classroom in 6 years!
Good luck mate 
Watch Fresh Meat that's what its like :wink:
I'm down your end of the world tonight,going posh at L'Enclume at Cartmel :drool:
Watch Fresh Meat that's what its like :wink: I'm down your end of the world tonight,going posh at L'Enclume at Cartmel :drool:
Ste said:metal licker said:
'Kin hell, they must have lowered the standards and be letting just about anyone in these days
I clean up real nice 
Where you off to Ste?
Depending on your focus, Year 1 can be very important, or totally pointless. I went for totally pointless, it worked out pretty well - but i wasn't targeting industrial placements etc so all i had to do was pass to get into year 2.
I'd recommend understanding the degree grading structure before you get too far into it - find out exactly how final grades are calculated, and how each year/module affects the next year, and/or final grade. Then you know exactly what you need to achieve with each in order to get what you want out of it. I'd say this is more important now that Uni is so ridiculously expensive.
Depending on which university, you can be very busy, or have a tonne of spare time (or both, weirdly). In my experience, thus far - i've never had as much free time as when i was a student - we used it wisely, and opted to donate a tonne of it to the RAF to learn to fly, but with hindsight - i'd of done more work on personal projects to kickstart business ideas and personal development if i had realised how little time i'd have now i'm working full time. I also had a job on the side, i basically applied to popular cocktail bars for the perks - gets you another crowd of mates to keep busy with, and free drinks
Asda is your friend, as is lidl/aldi and if you live near local independent fruit/veg stores they're usually massively cheaper. I also reckon i've never eaten as healthily as i did when i was student - free time and limited budget = tonnes of vegetables with cheap carbs, and enough time to make interesting food. Also living in shared accom and cooking group meals is a huge saver, and despite being on a 95% male course, i lived with 3 girls.. it had many perks.
I also used to re-arrange all my lectures (ie, find out when duplicate lectures of the same topic were on) and adjust the timetable so i had my 10-20 hours of weekly lectures/seminars compressed into 2-3 days, rather than spread over 5. Means you get relaxy time during the week, and weekends become usable to go and do stuff.
Hopefully not too much teaching you to suck eggs - i just remember when i graduated the one thing Uni didn't do was introduce you to a 3rd year before you started so that you knew how it all worked.
Depending on your focus, Year 1 can be very important, or totally pointless. I went for totally pointless, it worked out pretty well - but i wasn't targeting industrial placements etc so all i had to do was pass to get into year 2.
I'd recommend understanding the degree grading structure before you get too far into it - find out exactly how final grades are calculated, and how each year/module affects the next year, and/or final grade. Then you know exactly what you need to achieve with each in order to get what you want out of it. I'd say this is more important now that Uni is so ridiculously expensive.
Depending on which university, you can be very busy, or have a tonne of spare time (or both, weirdly). In my experience, thus far - i've never had as much free time as when i was a student - we used it wisely, and opted to donate a tonne of it to the RAF to learn to fly, but with hindsight - i'd of done more work on personal projects to kickstart business ideas and personal development if i had realised how little time i'd have now i'm working full time. I also had a job on the side, i basically applied to popular cocktail bars for the perks - gets you another crowd of mates to keep busy with, and free drinks
Asda is your friend, as is lidl/aldi and if you live near local independent fruit/veg stores they're usually massively cheaper. I also reckon i've never eaten as healthily as i did when i was student - free time and limited budget = tonnes of vegetables with cheap carbs, and enough time to make interesting food. Also living in shared accom and cooking group meals is a huge saver, and despite being on a 95% male course, i lived with 3 girls.. it had many perks.
I also used to re-arrange all my lectures (ie, find out when duplicate lectures of the same topic were on) and adjust the timetable so i had my 10-20 hours of weekly lectures/seminars compressed into 2-3 days, rather than spread over 5. Means you get relaxy time during the week, and weekends become usable to go and do stuff.
Hopefully not too much teaching you to suck eggs - i just remember when i graduated the one thing Uni didn't do was introduce you to a 3rd year before you started so that you knew how it all worked.
Thanks mate!
I'm off to UCLan to study/train as a Paramedic.
With the way the course works, getting a job won't be particularly easy. 50% of the course is placement within the ambulance service, and you shadow your Paramedic Mentors shifts, so can vary quite a lot, and include nights, weekends etc. Wouldn't really be able to commit to any given day/time like a regular course would.
Again, with the lectures a lot of it will be clinical skills in labs, so not sure how easy to duplicate or shift around.
Cooking cheaply will be a biggy for me I suppose, as most of my loan after rent and car expenses will go on that.
I'm off to UCLan to study/train as a Paramedic.
With the way the course works, getting a job won't be particularly easy. 50% of the course is placement within the ambulance service, and you shadow your Paramedic Mentors shifts, so can vary quite a lot, and include nights, weekends etc. Wouldn't really be able to commit to any given day/time like a regular course would.
Again, with the lectures a lot of it will be clinical skills in labs, so not sure how easy to duplicate or shift around.
Cooking cheaply will be a biggy for me I suppose, as most of my loan after rent and car expenses will go on that.
With bulk rice, pasta, cous cous bags, and cheap local veg (think halal supermarket), we could live off about £7 a week and eat decently. You'll slowly become a master at picking turkey over chicken, thighs (boned with skin still on) over breast .. etc etc
Just stock up on spices and sauces whilst you have some money. And if all else fails, your poorest week can be subsidised by 'sampling' as many things as waitrose's deli counter will let you try before kicking you out..
I imagine since my graduation in 2009 things are probably more expensive, but that just means you get less booze i guess. As someone said - picking solid housemates is pretty key to having an easy life.
Just stock up on spices and sauces whilst you have some money. And if all else fails, your poorest week can be subsidised by 'sampling' as many things as waitrose's deli counter will let you try before kicking you out..
I imagine since my graduation in 2009 things are probably more expensive, but that just means you get less booze i guess. As someone said - picking solid housemates is pretty key to having an easy life.
Bit past it to be passing on advice re Uni (was a while ago for me!). . . . :lol:
But all the best with your new course - if getting a job at the end is going to be a challenge then decide now, to attend all lectures, tutorials, seminars etc (it's easy to give some a miss) and do a reminder session after each one during all that free time (sounds like this may be a different course to the usual degree course however). The discipline of setting aside a short period of time to revisit each session, making further notes, condensed down to say, just a list (which you can keep going back to, to revise), will keep you on top of all your studies and pay off by maximising your final degree level.
Regarding costs - don't eat out. Pasta and stir fry is your best way forward, cut your meat eating down by supplementing and bulking out with cheap vegetables in the stir fry and with the pasta. Frozen meat and vegetables are cheaper (if you've got a freezer). Cooking in bulk and freezing some for later works well and saves money.
You need to be well organised to make this work though.
For what it's worth and based on meeting you at some of the runs - Steph and I reckon this is a great choice and you'll be excellent in this role Ste - all the best with your studies.
But all the best with your new course - if getting a job at the end is going to be a challenge then decide now, to attend all lectures, tutorials, seminars etc (it's easy to give some a miss) and do a reminder session after each one during all that free time (sounds like this may be a different course to the usual degree course however). The discipline of setting aside a short period of time to revisit each session, making further notes, condensed down to say, just a list (which you can keep going back to, to revise), will keep you on top of all your studies and pay off by maximising your final degree level.
Regarding costs - don't eat out. Pasta and stir fry is your best way forward, cut your meat eating down by supplementing and bulking out with cheap vegetables in the stir fry and with the pasta. Frozen meat and vegetables are cheaper (if you've got a freezer). Cooking in bulk and freezing some for later works well and saves money.
You need to be well organised to make this work though.
For what it's worth and based on meeting you at some of the runs - Steph and I reckon this is a great choice and you'll be excellent in this role Ste - all the best with your studies.
I've been out of uni for 10 years but spent 8 years there (on and off) in total covering 3 degrees. From what I remember I ate a lot of pasta as it was quick and easy to cook, I had a weekend/holiday job in a clothes shop to help finances and I remember having difficult housemates was stressful so do think about who you live with. Sometimes though you don't know till you start living with them.
Living in uni accomodation was often easier as cleaners and getting stuff fixed when required was included so just less hassle. It can be a bit basic but all your mates generally live near and it was a lot of fun. First year of my BSc didn't count so as above find out how each year is valued. NUS card can get you discounts in a lot of places/online so use it where you can.
If I think of anymore I'll come back.
Enjoy your time there and good luck with the course
Living in uni accomodation was often easier as cleaners and getting stuff fixed when required was included so just less hassle. It can be a bit basic but all your mates generally live near and it was a lot of fun. First year of my BSc didn't count so as above find out how each year is valued. NUS card can get you discounts in a lot of places/online so use it where you can.
If I think of anymore I'll come back.
Enjoy your time there and good luck with the course
I'm a university Prof. Here's my advice: work your ass off from day one and you'll never regret it. You should think of Uni as a full-time job. The classes should excite you, if they don't then you might be in the wrong field. There's no substitute for hard work. As for money, get a part-time job. For what it's worth, I didn't do my first degree until I left the army at 29. Then I did a BSc, MSc, then PhD back-to-back. During those 10 years I had a part time job.
Sorry, just my two cents.
Sorry, just my two cents.
Ste said:
Good luck Ste, one of the subjects I was considering.
Are you staying in halls or commuting? UClan will have changed a lot since I was there back in 1997 but it's a great place and really enjoyed my time there.
Spent many nights at the Adelphi, Ship Inn and Variety.
I stayed at Roeburn Halls for my first year as each room had an en-suite.
IIRC Marlon and his other half work for the Uni.