Starting University #2- Moving into halls

Halls are the university accommodation- the perfect stepping stone between your parent's house and living on your own. All of the freedom of having no parents but with a warden to come and fix your tap should it spontaneously explode.

One of the most important things to realise about halls is whilst they are safe in that they will have wardens and are full of people of a similar age, that doesn't mean there won't be someone wandering around waiting to steal into your room and take your things. You're given room keys for a reason and be careful to lock your door- preferably with your keys on the same side of the door as you! Be wary of people tailgating you in through the main doors into your building as well- they may not be as innocent as they appear (although chances are their friend is just very late to come downstairs to collect them!).

There are a thousand and one articles out there telling you exactly what you should pack when moving into accommodation, and if you follow them you'll end up moving in with not only half of your house but possibly half of Tescos too. Honestly, the things you need can be pretty easily split- stationery, clothes, cooking stuff and fun stuff. For some, you'll be in catered halls and the cooking stuff becomes obsolete.

It's worth checking with your university accommodation before you go out and buy masses of big things as well. A lot of people tend to buy their own printers and whilst they may be handy but if you're in a flat that's right next to the communal study area, do you really need to get your own? Some halls won't let you have certain things in your room either (think rice cookers, mini-fridges, extension cords, fairy lights) so you might have to think carefully about the plug space you'll have and whether you're willing to share certain things with flatmates. If you can all chip in to buy things as a flat, maybe it's worth trying to save some money.

Many universities will release room allocations before move-in time and it's worth trying to find your flatmates on social media- if only just to say hi so you have a friendly face when you do move. It's also a good way of working out what sort of flat you'll be as every flat will be different- maybe you'll be the best of friends and share every meal, and maybe you won't see each other at all, but sussing it out quickly makes things easier. It's worth seeing if you can share things like washing up liquid, wash cloths, milk, eggs etc- the basics everyone seems to use but no-one can ever remember buying.

There are a lot of things that make living with strangers easier- as you become friends things will get more relaxed, but remember in the first few weeks everyone is a bit more stressed than usual and may be snappy! These include:

• Keeping your stuff in communal areas tidy
• Not nicking other people's stuff out of the fridge
• Washing up after yourself
• Get involved in flat social events
• Invite your flatmates to join you for uni events, freshers fayre etc
• Not making masses of noise late at night 

Seriously, nothing is worse than coming home from a stressful day to find one of your flatmates has helped themselves to your ice-cream. Three years later and this blogger is still bitter. 

Moving in can be quite lonely after your parents/friends have left and you're suddenly in a strange building on your own- so try and find a way to make your room more homely. For some people that's framed pictures, lamps and cushions; for others, it's having biscuits squirreled away in every drawer. 

Things no-one will tell you:

• Kitchens in halls are like the Bermuda triangle for cutlery. It will go missing, so don't spend masses on having a lovely matching set!
• You're going to need tupperware for storing pens, leftovers, basically anything. IKEA do a wonderful set of 17 pieces for £2. 
• Communal bathrooms can be really, really gross. It's worth having a cheap pair of flip flops for the worst times and trying to work out when that awful pukey flatmate isn't going to have thrown up in the shower.
• It's going to be loud. There will be parties (no matter how many wardens try and break them up) and there will be drunk people and people getting very friendly. Heavy duty earplugs go a long way- and you'll become an expert napper no matter which course you're on. 

At the end of the day, everyone is in the same boat and a lot of people find their life-long friends in halls. They're a great bonding experience because you will undoubtedly have something in common, whether it's every TV show ever or the fact you saw your other flatmate try and do a naked run from the shower to their room when they forgot their towel. Don't worry if you start living in halls and you don't feel like you get on with anyone- there are a lot of big personalities in the first few weeks and they die down to become perfectly normal, lovely people who were very excited to be away from home! 

If it's getting tough, remember Nightline is always here for you! 

Starting university #1- FOOD.

Starting university is daunting for anyone, whether you're living at home or moving into halls, moving to an entirely new city or staying somewhere familiar. Even the people that start university knowing some people will find it scary- because it is! For a lot of people, it's going to be the first significant length of time you have away from your parents and entirely dependent on yourself. There's a whole host of skills you suddenly have to learn or put into practice- washing, cleaning, cooking, studying, making new friends- and for a lot of you, it will be the first time you've used those skills in years, if ever!

Food

Because food is the way to everyone's heart, isn't it? And even if it's not, it'll make you feel better no matter how university has started off.

No fear, I'm here to help. We can't really teach you how to cook but we can tell you that everyone is in the same boat- and a shared meal is not only a good way to use everyone's cooking skills to produce something edible, but it's a good way to make friends. What better way to bond than laughing over the fact you've set your pizza on fire? (No joke, that's a thing that can happen. Don't put the cardboard or foam of your pizza base in the oven!)

Before you even start, try and establish a budget for food. It's all well and good to say you'll spend a bomb on food because you really love burgers, but when you get to week 6 and your loan has run out because all you've eaten is McDonalds, you'll regret it. There are some food items you don't expect to cost loads but do- cheese, meat and fresh veg can all be very expensive if you're not savvy about it.

Be wary of using recipes advertised for students on websites used by proper adults. They tend to think that students have a lot of time and energy- and in freshers, you really won't. The sudden change to early starts, sorting out paperwork and making new friends is exhausting- so don't push yourself to make fancy meals straight off! Think cheap, cheerful and quick- and if it's healthy, extra points to you. A personal favourite of many students is spaghetti hoops on toast with cheese.

Before you start university, think about what you like to eat at home and whether you can cook that. Then think about whether you'll be able to afford it and if there are any substitutions you can make to make it cheaper- whether that's buying cheese in a block and grating it yourself, making it from scratch or just not buying the ready meal version, there are always ways to make cooking at uni suitable for all budgets. Most major supermarkets have basics ranges that are cheaper, healthier and to be honest, just as tasty- they're just missing the fancy packaging. Processed foods tend to be more expensive because you're paying for the processing- it might be cheaper to make it yourself if you have the time available.

Try to cook in batches and plan your meals ahead of time. Fresh stuff tends to go off quicker than you think it does, especially when it's just you eating it instead of your entire household, so it's easier to bake those fresh veg into a pie you can freeze than worry about them going off in the fridge and having to clean. If you can, share with friends- that way you don't have to buy tiny amounts of milk, you can buy in bulk, save money and save it from going off.

If you're especially savvy, try and aim for the shops around 7pm- that's when most of the items with close sell by dates will start getting reduced. You can always freeze items before their sell by date so long as you eat them as soon as you defrost them (and only defrost things once, don't refreeze them!).

BUY IN BULK.  Pasta, tinned tomatoes, frozen vegetables- they'll all be on offer at some point or cheaper to buy in larger packets, so if you have the space, go for it. Always read the price per unit on the sales tag- whilst buy one get one free might seem great, they might be priced higher than buying the same amount but in one packet, just to confuse you into spending more money.

Now, less about food and more about safety, because getting ill at university is the worst:

1. Be careful about reheating takeaways. If it's been left on the side all night, zapping it in the microwave is NOT going to kill those germs- store it in the fridge and keep safe.
2. Don't reheat rice. Just don't.
3. Make sure things are piping hot all the way through when you're cooking, especially meat. That way you know you've killed off the nasties.
4. Use by dates aren't really there for fun, especially when it comes to dairy, yoghurt and meat. If you freeze it before the use by date, fine. If it's been sat in your fridge for a week, not fine.
5. DON'T EAT MOULDY FOOD. You might think it's ok to rip the mouldy bit of bread off, but that mould has produced toxins that have seeped into the rest of that seemingly fresh loaf. Let it go. 

Last of all, don't forget to treat yourself. Two for Tuesdays are there for a reason after all.

Love Katie