Getting the balance right

So you’ve arrived, you’ve partied, have loads of new friends and have loads of new ideas and everything in life is rosy. You’re over the first couple of weeks and your student life has begun in earnest.
This is when reality and routine kicks in. A business start-up guru I know said that ‘businesses often end up the way they start out’ and this holds true for student life too. I’m going to try to give you some snippets of advice that I wish I had to help avoid some of the pitfalls.

Part-time and uni work

When it comes down to it, you are at university to get your degree. It may not feel like the priority at times but it is important to keep this focus. The first major strain that will probably take your attention is cash. The biggest recent change in student life is the amount of debt you may leave uni with; to avoid that you will need to work how to make ends meet on a weekly basis. What you’re looking for is flexible work, something that can fit in around your studies and also if possible something that is not so unsociable that you end up knackered all the time. The Union Job Shop has loads of opportunities and the Union itself offers a good number of part time jobs.

Fitness

I can hear the groans already. This can seriously help you out though. When is comes to deadlines for essays and exam time you’re going to need all the help you can get and feeling fit with a clear mind will definitely give you a boost. The Union offers loads of sports clubs and the University has excellent gym facilities so everything you need is right on your door step. Even if organised sports and fitness isn’t currently your thing, you should try to build it into your life. Portsmouth is a very flat city so riding your bike or walking is actually quite nice to do and you’ll get around quicker too as it’ll take you longer to park a car than to walk there anyway!

Social life

This one is really easy to lose grip of. Initially, you will quite possibly be doing something every night of the week, as the whole start of university life is geared for you to get out and meet people so your next few years will be more enjoyable. The trick is to know when to settle down and be a bit more comfortable about staying in. I’m not saying become a hermit but just maybe consider going home a bit earlier to make your lectures the next day a little more bearable.

Stay healthy

The most important thing here bar none is that you get yourself promptly registered with a doctor and a dentist. You’re not going to be popping off home every time you’re ill so sort it out as soon as you arrive. It’s a lot easier to fill out a few forms when you are out and about than when you are feeling under the weather! It is also very important that you pick up the information on Meningitis and Mumps when you get here as you need to know the symptoms and what to do straight away if you or any or your friends take a turn for the worse. It’s not a common occurrence but is better to be safe rather than sorry.

Sex

You might indulge, you might not, but one word of advice here that you really should listen to. Make it safe. There are plenty of undesirable STIs out there, and not that many desirable ones... so make an note of the links on this page should you ever feel that something is up, or take the initiative and pop along to the friendly family planning centre to make sure that you only start making baby versions of yourself once your studies are over!

Overall it’s not rocket science and there are loads more areas of you life which will need to be considered when trying to keep it all in balance. Try not to let any one area dominate your student life and you’ll have your cake and eat it too! Your student days truly will be the best days of your life and with a few ground rules you’ll handle it easy and look back with only fond memories.