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A little rainMagazine
Student survival guide
29/ 9/2006
STARTING university is all about getting an education, getting a
degree, getting ahead. But if you don't want to live in a
hermetically sealed bubble, eating Pot Noodle on your own for the
next three years, you'll have to get out and meet the
natives.
The joy and trauma of starting university has erupted across the
city, with varying degrees of success and sobriety. Days of
shenanigans for newly-minted undergrads, designed to ease them into
university life, hangover or no.
You'll meet a lot of new people, forget a lot of names and make a
lot of small talk. So dispense with the obvious. Everyone will have
been asked what A-levels they did, where they come from and what
course they're doing at least 37 times.
Instead, compliment them on their savvy choice of sneakers, ask
whether they're a Simpsons or a South Park person, or if they went
to any festivals over the summer. If all else fails: "Would you
like a beer?" usually works.
When you do hit it off with someone, grab their details and arrange
to meet for coffee or beers later in the week. Think of this as a
platonic form of dating - you'll have "flings" with lots of friends
during your first weeks of uni, before settling down with some
rock-steady mates. Flirt with everyone but make no commitments -
many students spend years avoiding the "best friends forever" they
unwisely made in their first few weeks.
After all that Freshers' Week debauchery, you'll probably not be at
your best anyway. So, if you do fancy someone, it might be wise to
bide your time and approach them when you're not a slobbering,
reeking, hungover wreck.
If you're already part of a couple, talk realistically about your
expectations - long-distance romances can work but they need
commitment. Think about what you want from your university
experience and be upfront.
Also, keep in contact with friends from school but don't spend
every weekend at home - it'll make settling in much harder. And try
to limit your parents to one or two duty calls a week - let them
know when you'll be in and ready to talk. Wean them off constant
phoning.
But the first few weeks at university isn't all fun and games.
Keeping yourself in one piece can be a struggle if it's your first
time away from home. Here are some things to think about:
YOU are not the All-England Drinking Champion of 2006. If all you
do is get slaughtered night after night, you run the risk of being
known as "drunk guy or girl" for the next three years. And some
serious liver damage.
IF you plan on getting a little tipsy, make sure you're with
housemates or hall buddies and look out for each other. Never leave
your drink unattended and always have a little cash for a taxi
home.
FRESHER Flu is an illness you'll find hard to avoid, with germs
swarming in from all parts of the counrty. Try to deal with it
yourself if you can paracetamol, plenty of liquids and a Lemsip
helps. If you still feel trashed after four or five days, see the
doctor.
REMEMBER there are food groups that don't involve fried grease,
alcohol or baked beans. Even in halls you'll be able to commandeer
the kitchen to make your own food so check out the local no-frills
grocery shop and cook yourself up some pasta, soup or
stir-fry.
CHECK the uni website for enrolment information and don't forget to
pick up your NUS Extra Card - only £10 and you'll make out like a
bandit with all the discounts and special offers it brings.
JO WALKER
STUDENT life is not all about drinking and socialising with a
certain amount of study thrown in. As Mina Mokhtary explains,
living away from home for the first time may pose particular
problems for young people.
She is the University of Manchester's student welfare officer and
she knows that there are often practical difficulties that need
tackling for the many students who come to the city to study.
"It's all kinds of things, really, from actually financing their
education - which is getting more difficult for many students - to
sexual health and living accommodation," she says.
Mina was elected to this welfare role last March after spending
four years in the city from her home in the North East, taking a
sociology degree.
Her remit is broad but she knows the importance of having somewhere
for students to go for advice. And here we are talking about 7,000
freshers and a total student population of around 36,000.
"We are a kind of signposting," she adds. "We can't be experts in
everything but, if we can't help, we can suggest others who
can."
Traditionally, students need help keeping the socialising,
especially of the alcoholic variety, to reasonable limits. "Then
there's sexual health - we have `condom fairies', women and some
men, who go to students' events like the Freshers' Ball and the
Bop, dressed in wings," says Mina.
"They give out free condoms and information on sexual health and
STDs. It gets the message across quite easily and at the right
places - and the fairies get in free!"
Loneliness and depression can also be common and there is a
counselling service available to help. The welfare centre, on the
first floor of the Student Union building, on Oxford Road, is also
a central point for services like reporting discrimination or hate
crime. There are special links with police to help deal with
problems like these.
Mina and the office staff can also pass on information about
particular groups, like those covering sexual orientation, for
example. "Yes, it's a place for students to drop in, somewhere
accessible and of their own," says Mina. "And, sometimes, it's just
a matter of someone to talk to about a problem."
The drop-in welfare centre is open from 9am to 5pm daily.
ANGELA KELLY
Contacts:
University of Manchester - tel 0161 306 6000, log on to
www.manchester.ac/uk
Manchester Metropolitan University - tel 0161 247 2000, log on to
www.mmu.ac.uk
University of Salford - tel 0161 295 5000, log on to
www.salford.ac.uk
Drugs problems - Lifeline Adult Client and Community Detox
Services, 101-103 Oldham Street, Central Manchester, tel 0161 839
2954, log on to www.lifeline.org or www.talktofrank.com
Emotional problems - Samaritans, 72-74 Oxford Street, Central
Manchester, open 8.30am to 8.30pm, tel 0161 236 8000, log on to
jo@samaritans.org
Healthcare, including finding hospitals, doctors and dentists -
Central Manchester Primary Care Trust, tel 0161 958 4000, log on to
www.centralmanchesterpct.nhs.uk
Leisure facilities, including student discounts - log on to
www.manmchester.gov.uk/leisure/indoor/student.htm
Transport inquiries, including student travel cards - log on to
www.manchester.gov.uk/EDUCATION/students/transport-policy.htm
Social life, news, what's on and links to all sorts of useful info
- log on to www.metronews.co.uk
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