THE UNIVERSITY SERIES | Packing The Essentials

I know that when I first got a confirmation of my place at the University of Sunderland accommodation I was in a total panic. I didn't know what I would need to take with me, whether I would need half of the stuff that I did plan to take and whether I would have space for it all so I thought I would compile a printable packing list, similar to the one I used myself.

The printable version of this packing list can be found here so it can be easily accessed while you are compiling your own packing list. Additionally, I have added on a few "non essentials" such as fluffy blankets, fairy lights and photo frames but these really do help to make the room feel a bit more like home which can make the process of settling in that much easier. When I first moved in I found it difficult to settle into my new room but once I had made the room mine by adding a few homely touches I settled right in.

In the packing list I also included two sets of kitchen supplies such as plates and cups as if you were to have a friend over for tea or the likes, it prevents the awkward situation of not having enough kitchen utensils. However, before buying all of your own things, remember to check whether your new accommodation is furnished or not.

My accommodation for all three years of my university life was furnished, and even kitchen supplies such as pans, plates and mugs were provided, however that did not stop us from bringing our own. It just meant that we were never short of plates. Mind you, we were always short of cutlery, I promise you that one day you will go to look for a folk and there will be non in sight.

                                                           Bye for now my little pumpkins

GUEST POST FRIDAY | A Open Letter to 16 Year Old Me - Sarah

I think there are many things that I'd like to tell myself five years down the line. Here's my open letter to younger me:

Dear 16 year old me, 
Everything ends up okay. I know at sixteen the world feels like its falling apart, nothing's going right, college seems terrifying and you're not even considering university. But I can tell you now that everything turns out okay. Trust yourself and it will all come into place. 

I know you're having problems, problems not anyone else can dream about, but once you start to trust your life and your body and your mind, everything works out. That's the one thing that I've learned, you have to trust yourself and believe in yourself. 

You're terrified of college, starting somewhere completely new even though you can't be yourself in your old life. In college, be completely yourself and be confident about it, because it will be the best two years of your life. Go in to everything with no regrets and stay focused on what you want. Don't hide your true self from anyone. Don't apologize for who you are and what you are becoming, be proud. 

You'll fall in and out of love, constantly, but remember that It's not the be-all and end-all. You'll meet people you'll be infatuated by, and you'll have to let them go. It hurts, but it's okay. Also try to learn that you're okay on your own sometimes. This one might be a little harder to learn, and trust me, at 21 you still might be learning the ways of dealing of loneliness. Remember that relationships don't define you, your family and friends are important too. 

Speaking of family and friends, don't push them away because you'll need them the most in the next few years. Keep the best ones you've made and stay as far from the others as possible. The amount of friends you have doesn't matter, how they treat you does. After 16, you'll meet the most incredible people that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Don't cock that up and push them away. 
At 16 years old you think you know everything. And at 21 you'll look at 16 year olds and shake your head, thinking they have so much to learn about life. The difference is, at 21 I'm prepared to look back at myself at 30 and think 'wow, I really knew nothing.' But things get a lot better after 16 and that I can promise. 

You'll still have doubts, worries, panics that you can't find a job or you'll fail an assignment (trust me, that still feels like your world is over). But you'll also have adventures on beaches with new life-long friends. You'll road trip to Liverpool with people you've not met before, you'll go on dates in the park, you'll have picnics with your best friend, you'll make friends through work, you'll read books you fall in love with, you'll eat a full jar of chocolate spread in one sitting, you'll make the perfect pancakes on Sunday morning, you'll lounge about the house for a day and feel on top of the world and you'll wake up in the middle of the night and roll over and have sex with the person next to you and it'll feel amazing. You'll kiss people you never thought you would and you'll hold hands with friends walking in town centers and sneak cookies in to the cinema on a weekly best friend date. 

Life will get so much damn better, and you need to believe that can happen for it to come true. 
I hope it gets better soon, 
Sarah x

THE UNIVERSITY SERIES | 10 Things That I Learnt During My University Life

Now that I am officially a University graduate with a full time job, I have had some time to think back to the three years that I spent at the University of Sunderland and reminisce about all that I have learnt during my time there. Here is a run down of the 10 biggest things that I have learnt:

1. Unscheduled naps will happen; no matter how much sleep you have had the night before, you will find yourself sneaking off to your room when you think everyone is busy for a sly little nap but even sometimes you aren't that lucky and you will fall asleep alongside the rest of your flat mates in the middle of the living room.
2. Don't know what to eat? Have pasta; your cupboards may be stocked high with goodies but you will always find yourself having pasta at least twice a week, with sauce, without sauce, with cheese, without cheese, with mayo, without. The possibilities for a pasta dish are endless.
3. "That's £4 please.." "Oh, that could of been four drinks"; in Sunderland on student nights it costs a measly £1 for a single vodka and coke which often leads me to be looking at my shopping and working out how many drinks I could of bought on the next night out. I know I'm not the only one who does this either.
4. Motivation, what motivation?; deadlines are everywhere and no matter how much work you have to do, no matter how much fun it can be and no matter how easy it is, you will have zero motivation until about an hour before the deadline where it becomes a mad rush to complete it.
5. Being head of the chunder chart is no fun; being at the top of the chunder chart leads to hours upon hours of ridicule from friends, flat mates and everyone else who hears of the drunken shenanigans that you have gotten up to.
6. No TV, make your own entertainment; I can guarantee that if you don't have a working TV set then there will be a point where everyone in the flat goes a little bit doolaly and has a mad half hour. In my flat this year we have played tag, locked each other in our rooms, broken a bean bag and wrapped one member of the flat up in toilet roll. What did everyone do before TV?
7. Going home is like a holiday; perks of going home? free tv, endless supplies of foods - and not a single bowl of pasta in site . But the best of all is being able to get your washing done without having to personally pay for it, after all, paying for a wash and a dry is equivalent to three drinks. Madness.
8. Toilet roll is expensive; every flat has a toilet roll thief, well its either that or someone is eating it. Put a whole role in at 9am, by 1pm the toilet roll is gone - sometimes the tube is there but the majority of the time there is no sign that there was ever toilet roll in the bathroom.
9. "Do you have a pen?"; there is always that one person who comes to every lecture and seminar without a single pen with them, they will always turn to you and ask to borrow one of yours. Sometimes being well equipped isn't always the best.
10. Netflix is the cure for everything; long day, use Netflix. Hungover, use Netflix. Procrastination, use Netflix. Netflix is always there when you need him.

So there is just 10 of the things I have learnt through University. Remember if you want to ask questions you can either leave a comment below or use the hashtag #theUniversitySeries to send them in.

                                                    Bye for now my little pumpkins

THE UNIVERSITY SERIES | Those First Day Nerves

I know first had how nerve wrecking your first day at university can be however I discovered a few little tricks to feel just that little bit nervous.

1. You are all in the same position. You are not alone, there will be hundreds of other people in the exact same position as you, all trying to find their way. There will also be students from previous years, members of your faculty and students union ready to point you all in the right direction.
2. Get to know others on your course. I found a Facebook page created by a fellow student, they created the page so that we could all get to know one another before we started formal lectures. We even arranged a course meal for the first evening of freshers. And believe it or not, I found this incredibly beneficial as I made friends with a lovely girl on my course, who I later lived with for my final two years at university and it meant that we went through the whole university experience together.
3. Be prepared. I can't stress this enough. Be prepared for your enrolment, and introductory lectures whether that means ensuring you have sufficient stationary or have the right documents ready, at hand. Just be prepared.

Coming up next time on the University Series is a packing list of items I believe to be essential for surving the university lifestyle. 

                                                       Bye for now my little pumpkins

THE UNIVERSITY SERIES | An Introduction

It is coming up to that time again where those who have made the decision to attend university have began to prepare themselves for the start of term. I have just graduated university in July, and I know all too well how nerve racking the whole experience can be so I thought I would create a mini series of blog posts called the University Series where I will share what I've learnt, tips for surviving those first day nerves and the do's and dont's of university life.

I will post frequently during the last few weeks of this month, continuing on throughout September. However, if there are any questions that you have about university life and I haven't covered it just leave me a comment and I will answer the best that I can. Alterntively, you can send your questions to me via the hashtag #theUniversitySeries over on Twitter.

                                                       Bye for now my little pumpkins