Before Uni

Hi everyone

Getting ready for uni is a worrying task; leaving home, cooking on your own food and not relying on your parents anymore can be scary for some. For others they couldn't care less but will most likely soon find out how much they rely on their parents for food, washing, transport etc.

For some of these the soultion is simple; quite simply grow a pair (no this isn't sexist it just gets the message across). Cooking is something that is simple to do but hard to do well, i've been living on sausages so far and while edible they do get abit burnt. Don't worry about 5 star food but try your hand at the simpler stuff like spag boll, omlettes and scrambled egg. These are basic but tasty and healthy food. These can be learnt by asking parents (read mum) to watch and help as you cook dinner. Cooking is prehaps the most daunting thing most students find, your parents (mum) has had to do this for as long as you have been alive so lean on them (her) for help about how/ what to cook and what to use. More advanced stuff can be picked up by cookbooks but just remember to read the cookbook first as some are difficult to understand. Best bet is less is more, the less recipies the more instructions you'll get with each one. At the end of the being able to cook basic and quick to prepare food will get you through uni or until you find someone who can cook.

Universities will normally give you a room, a bed and not much else so look online at what they give and what they don't so that you can prepare. One lad i know thought that towels were provided at the uni (they weren't) so think ahead. Cooking stuff like plates, bowls, pots, pans and frying pans are essential. Shop around for the best deal but remember that quality is good. We bought some cheap plates only for one to crack after being put through the washing machine. Moral of the story look around but get something of good quality.

Going to uni isn't scary but a challenge. You will meet new friends (facebook allows you to keep up with the old ones) and learn loads not just about your course. Good tip for making new friends is that 99% of people don't know each other and are just as scared as you. Walking up to someone is a great way to meet people. My whole block met as 2 people were talking and the rest just started to walk towards them to introduce themselves. It was a great was to say hello (same as during registration) the only snag was when we found out that we were talking outside the toilet when someone walked out. Nice guy but abit akward.

Cheers everyone and i hope this helps (if not why are you reading this)

See ya