Top Tips
We asked the students of the University of Nottingham what they wish they had known about university life before they started – all the little things that really make a difference. Here is the advice they came up with!
Money Saving Ideas
- "Actively look for money-saving codes for online shops; they can be combined!"
Matthew Styles, 2nd year Computer Science.
- "I would recommend to anyone, especially those on a budget, to go to Hyson Green Market on a Wednesday morning where fruit and veg is lovely and fresh and absolutely dirt cheap, there's a butcher's, fishmonger's and fabric stalls too and it’s in walking distance of Lenton."
Rachel Woolhouse, 4th year , French and Philosophy
- "If I could tell a fresher anything it's this: be really honest about your money situation with your parents / someone older and wiser. If you do get into debt, being able to talk about it with someone who cares about you will save you so much stress and emotional turmoil." Robert Pickersgill , Civil Engineering
- "Think there's no such thing as a free lunch? Think again! Many churches in Nottingham offer free, homecooked Sunday lunches for students during the first term. Two of the easiest to get to are Grace Church - a free minibus leaves at 10am from outside the Portland Building - and Beeston Free, which is right next to Broadgate Park." Sam Young, 2nd year, Physics
- "Do not fear - Sainsburys Basics Custard Creams are only 45p!"
Leah Glover, 3rd year, Law
- "I wish I knew how better to take care of my money initially. Over my time here I can up with working out a weekly budget and taking the money out in cash and then you can visibly see the amount of money you've got left and the amount of money you've spent or are spending. Another idea I had was to set up a new bank account and then have a standing order to the new account paid from the account you get all the loans and everything paid into. This way, even online spending won't skew your budget."
Maxwell Derner, 1st year, Electronic Engineering
- "...keep the plastic cups given to you from when you drink in the Mix halls bar. Simply wash it and, not only do you have a cup, you're saving the environment too. Plus, they'll never break, no matter how many times you drop them."
Jenna Flye, 1st year, Chemistry
- "Get an NUS Extra card; sign up to Studentbeans.com; make an Excel Spreadsheet with your Income and Outgoings; know what you can afford to buy; use Mysupermarket.com to work out if it's cheaper to do your weekly shop at Sainsburys, Tesco or Asda. Every penny counts!; go to the Grocers in Beeston (opposite Superdrug); the produce is fresher and cheaper than the local supermarket; if you have change, save it in a piggy bank for your laundry." Rochelle Livingstone, 1st year, Psychology
- "Actively look for money-saving codes for online shops; they can be combined; ask for student discount on everything - you'll be surprised where offers it; buy books second-hand; they're often in excellent condition but dirt cheap."
Matthew Styles, 2nd year, Computer Science.
Your Degree
- "Make sure you do actually keep up with the work; it is better to fall into a rhythm so that when it matters you don't mess up!"
Tom Fullwood, 1st year, Classics
- "My advice is that the students must not take the studies lightly and keep their attendance to maximum."
Sahibzada Umer, Electrical and Electronics Engineering
- "To PhD candidates, be mentally and physically prepared for any expected and unexpected challenges and keep yourself sane with plenty of social activities."
Zaleha Abdullah, School of Education
- "Exams - really try not to leave it to the last minute cause you ''only need 40% to pass first year''. yes you only need that, but there is no point stressing over it and leaving yourself panicing at the last minute. just do a little bit everyday and then you can still have a social life during revision as you're not working 24/7."
Miranda Wilson-Wood, 1st year, Biology
- "Book a room in the library to revise if you're not an early bird. The worse thing is when you're in revision mode and there's nowhere to revise!"
Rochelle Livingstone, 1st year, Psychology
- "Doing an "all nighter" to get an essay in for the next day is never a good idea, especially if there's a power cut on campus that same night!"
Rosie Cross, 1st year, French & German
- "Even though you only have to get 40% in first year, you don’t get any of it retaught later. So if you want the magical 60% (2.1) later on in your degree, you will need to relearn everything you were meant to learn in first year all over again on top of 2nd and 3rd year work. Also, the work you cover in 1st year is still relevant in 3rd year."
Vikki Turton , 3rd year, Philosophy
Your First Week
- "Everyone is just as scared as you are! Honest!! But after your parents leave, knock on all the doors on your corridor and talk to anyone and everyone! Freshers Week is for fun! Don't worry about organizing timetables or work...ENJOY IT! Speak to everyone, some of them you will never speak to again and some of them will be your best friends!"
Holly Donaghy-Sutton, 2nd year, Theology
- "Don’t be scared if you don’t like freshers, most people are scared and homesick really but don’t admit it until much later on in the year."
Jodie Hartigan, 1st year, Psychology
- "When you get here, don't be shy, talk to everybody - everybody is in the same boat and will probably be glad that you made the first move!"
Leah Glover, 3rd year, Law
- "What I think would be useful for new students to know is to bring a cork screw, even if they don't drink wine. My mother made sure I had one and it's amazing how many people didn't have one and then ended up with a cork bottle wine. Could be a conversion starter."
Jenna Flye, 1st year, Chemistry
- "I wish I'd known that everyone was feeling just as homesick as I was on Freshers' Week. I now know that all of my new friends were feeling miserable and scared too, but at the time I felt like they were all loving it, and I was the only one counting down the days until Christmas. After two or three weeks everything got better though, and now we all can't believe that we hated uni at first!"
Indigo Arundell, 1st year, Psychology
- "Don't feel pressured into going out clubbing every night in Freshers week: there's loads of other things going on, like Pub Quizzes, or just a quiet night in getting to know your new flatmates, both of which are far more sociable and comforting!"
Kate Harper, 1st year, English and Theology
- "If you get the dreaded Fresher's flu boil some water and mix in honey, lemon juice and a bit of whisky. It tastes weird but it makes you feel better!"
Rosie Cross, 1st year, French & German
Getting around Nottingham
- "The "NCT" buses in Nottingham don't give change! It's a nightmare when you're in a rush, so be sure to carry change."
Emily Vanden, 3rd year, Management Studies
- "Make sure you research the buses around halls into town. We spent a lot of unnecessary money on taxis in our first term!"
Cara Blair, 2nd year, Zoology
Living in Halls
- "Bring a floor rug if you have one! Something as simple as a rug really makes a difference to a bare university hall room. It looks so much more personal and cosy."
Laura Ayres, 1st year, Music
- "Sleep/Getting on with people in halls: If you are a big fan of sleeping bring ear plugs!"
Emma Drabble , 1st year, Environmental Biology
- "Bring loads of DVDs because, in just one year, we must have got through about 50!"
Becky Wilson, 1st year, English Studies
- "My advice to next year’s students who live in Catered Halls would be speak to your canteen about arranging meals for when you are on placement. They should be able to provide you with precooked chilled meals as well as packed lunch to take with you.(hardly anyone knows this)."
Bianca Hansen, 1st year, Master of Nursing Science
- "DON'T get your kitchenware from Ikea if you want to know exactly what's yours."
Rochelle Livingstone, 1st year Psychology
- "If there's something wrong with your room in Halls, let Maintenance know straight away, they'll fix it. A dripping tap is not great when you're trying to catch up on sleep during Fresher's Week!"
Rosie Cross, 1st year, French & German
- "Don't be tempted to share food with your housemates if you are self-catered, it's not worth the petty arguments about who ate all the cheese!"
Emily Vanden, 3rd year, Management Studies
House Hunting
- "You don't have to sort out your house before Christmas. Wait until the spring. They don't all get taken and it’s better to wait to make sure you're living with the right people."
Jesse Gardiner , 2nd Year, PhD Russian and Slavonic Studies.
- "I...wish I'd known that the first house you see isn't necessarily the best one to go for, Lenton's full of housing and they don't run out (contrary to popular belief) just keep looking, the right one always turns up in the end!"
Hannah Casey, French and Philosophy
- "I would tell myself there are more houses than people chasing them, that there are places that are cheaper than Lenton such as Dunkirk and Beeston and that you can get your contract checked by the SARC! Basically don't rush into it and sign up for the first house you see!"
Daniel Cooper, 2nd year, Politics
Getting involved
- "I'm from Malaysia and I have to say that the Nottingham Advantage Award has made my life at university to be more interesting as I get to be involved in activities outside of my field. I became a researcher, a teacher and a medical student in one semester!"
Adlan Wafi, 2nd year, Medicine
- "Join at least one society it’s a great way to meet people outside your hall and keep active. Get involved in hall activity, run for the JCR etc even if you don’t get it, it’s another way to get involved and get your face known."
Jodie Hartigan, 1st year, Psychology
- "There may be lots of societies present at the University and being involved in one is great, but what's even better is the option to create your own society from scratch - it's a lasting legacy and something extra to put on your CV!"
Laura Rudd, 3rd year, Psychology
- "Join societies that YOU will actually enjoy; don't be pressured by parents, or fellow freshers; chances are you will find your closest friends in the societies!"
Tom Fullwood, 1st year, Classics
- "Go to the Student Volunteer Centre and sign up, the staff are amazing."
Rochelle Livingstone, 1st year, Psychology
- "Get involved with as many things going as soon as possible e.g. societies, SRS, sports.
You'll meet lots of people from different groups, visit new places, have lots of different great experiences, build your confidence no end and get the most out of your time.
Because of getting involved I have performed in varsity, sky-dived, climbed a mountain, made it to an executive of a charity and added to my CV in a way that your course alone couldn't. You only get out of things what you put into them after all!"
Michelle Mcloughlin, 2nd year, History
- "Make the most of sport at the University of Nottingham, it will never be so readily available and cheap in the rest of your life.
You may think you have a busy course schedule and do not have time for it but a few hours a week is not very much in the grand scheme of things and can be a good way to relieve the stress. I did not join any sports clubs during my undergraduate degree and missed out but I had a second chance and I am now a postgraduate and play softball, volleyball and PGSA football."
Mark Lidgett, Final Year, PhD in Composite Materials
- "Get involved in as much as possible especially during the first year, from the Students Union, to the Student Volunteer Centre, from Student Run Services, to the Athletics Union. Not only is it a great opportunity to try new things and meet loads of people... it's also great when you start to apply for jobs!"
Sophie Horsley, 3rd year, Industrial Economics
- "...It pays dividends to get involved... be it in SRSs, societies, sports clubs, JCRs or whatever else... from the beginning. University is entirely what you make it and it's by getting involved that you make it great. I know that's blindingly obvious, but it really can't be stressed enough!"
Jack Shields, 3rd year, Management studies
Going Out
- "Explore Nottingham."
Jodie Hartigan, 1st year, Psychology
- "Cheap places to eat: If you're fed up of Halls food go to the Toby Carvery for an all you can eat for just over £5.00!"
Emma Drabble, 1st year, Environmental Biology
- "The Ostrich Burger Bar 'I Love Ostrich' is a brilliant place to go in town; cheap and really delicious, and there are potato wedges and ice cream, which are always welcome."
Tom Fullwood, 1st year, Classics
- "Be prepared to go with the flow, Nottingham uni may have a lot of students but it's a very small pond really. In first year everyone goes to the same club nights every week, so even if they're not to your taste grin and bear them as they're a great way to make friends."
Thomas Owen, 3rd year, Economics
- "No-one would ever claim that Nottingham was the biggest city but it manages to pack in all you could ever need and more; theatres, a concert hall, cinemas (I very much recommend The Savoy in Lenton), comedy clubs that bring in all the big names, nightclubs, bars, pubs, restaurants, shops galore, parks a-plenty, big events, history in buckets...!"
David Beddard, 1st year, Physics with Theoretical Physics
The World of Work
- "Relevant work experience is almost seen as essential to a CV. If you need to earn money in your summer vacations then take that little bit of extra time to search for a job related to your degree discipline. It will not only look good on your CV, you will also probably learn a lot from the experience."
Mark Lidgett, Final Year, PhD in Composite Materials
- "There's no harm in handing your CV in everywhere."
Rochelle Livingstone, 1st year, Psychology
General Advice
- "I think it’s very important for students who don't have a background of university education in their family to relax and not worry too much about transition from A level to University level studies, you are not expected to know everything, everyone really is in the same boat as you,and whilst it is a different experience from school or college, it is an absolutely fantastic one, you are in control of your studies and your life, it is a great opportunity to learn about yourself and where you want to go in life."
Steven Hodgson, 3rd year, History
- "Coming to university is a big step, especially if you haven't lived away from home before. Just be yourself, don't try and pretend you are someone you're not. You will meet the best friends yet and it's really important you find people you are comfortable with. It really is a character changing experience, you will have some of the toughest and best times of your life!"
Kerry Hodges, 2nd year, Pharmacy
Postgraduate
Shopping :
- Most big supermarket chains give you the option to shop online and arrange home delivery. This can be helpful if you don’t have a car and don’t live close to a supermarket. Check out the supermarkets’ websites to find out more.
- Most supermarkets also do super-cheap clothing ranges.
Trains :
- It’s usually far more expensive to buy a train ticket at the station on the day you travel. Save yourself some money and book your ticket online, as far in advance as you can. If you’re 25 or under, or a full-time student, you can save even more money with a Young Person’s Railcard.
Banks :
- Many UK banks have special accounts for students.
Entertainment :
- UK cinemas usually offer discounts for students so don’t forget to take your University Card.