Moving away to University is scary, daunting and exciting. The daunting side of things relates to the many questions that whirl around your head – what do you need to do? Where do you go? Some of these questions are answered when you’re there but some can be solved before you arrive…By Thomas Stewart
Here’s five of them:
Take your Photo for your Student Card
This may not seem that important but it most definitely is. We suggest you don’t send your Facebook photo. Once you have a photo, log onto the Welcome to Warwick website and send it over. Your student card gets you into all of the buildings on campus and, most importantly, lets you into the library. It’s crucial and it takes five minutes to sort out before you arrive.
Set Up a Tour of the Library
University libraries are very different to public or college libraries. There are a whole range of resources and facilities for you to get your head around. So why not set up a tour before you arrive? The Library’s ‘Get Started’ tours open for bookings just before freshers’ weekend – keep an eye on the Library homepage for more info. That way you’ll be acquainted with the floors and facilities, and you’ll learn all about finding books on the catalogue to help you with those pesky bibliographies.
Sort Out Your Loan
This is one of the most important things. Don’t leave your loan forms to the last minute, get them out of the way and send them off as early as you can. That way if there’s any error then you can rectify it. Sorting out your loan will help you understand your finances before you arrive at Warwick. There’s places to go for financial advice on campus, but sitting down with family or friends at home, before you leave, is beneficial. With them, you can discuss how much you can spend per week (based on your loan, taking rent and food into account) and come to a conclusion.
Social Media
From a social point of view, from the perspective of building friendships before you even arrive at Warwick, liking the Facebook pages is a huge thing. Through Facebook you can join groups that are dedicated to certain societies, your block that you’ll live in and so on. Many people have found their flatmates on these groups so when you arrive you already know someone.
A lot of university services have their own Twitter and Facebook pages. These are great for finding out practical info and what’s going on. They’ll link to any sign-ups or useful sites, basically collecting essential info in one place. If you follow the Library, you’ll also be notified when a new Study Blog post is released – definitely one of its best selling points if I do say so myself…
Visit The Study Blog
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing posts that will help you to get acquainted with university study and its resources and facilities. You’ll be able to familiarise yourself with our study spaces, find out which resources will help you get ahead and prepare yourself properly for the year to come.
There you have it, five things to do. Five easy things? Most definitely. They don’t take very long and they’re important for your social life, your education ahead and your finances – three factors that the University life is all about. So what are you waiting for? Get cracking!
Image: Arrivées/Frédéric BISSON/ CC BY 2.0
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