Freshers Guide
Everything You Need to Know!
University offers you the opportunity to excel academically, but it also enables you to grow both personally and socially – especially in your first year. We’ve created this useful guide to help your time as a fresher be as rewarding as possible.
Freshers Week
A brilliant week of fun and frolics, so here are a few tips to make sure you get the most out of your Freshers’ Week:
- Your university will have lots of activities and events planned, go to as many as you can!
- Make friends – this is your perfect opportunity to meet lots of other students, remember to be yourself!
- Join in! Sign up to clubs and societies – another great way to meet people and make friends (but don’t waste your money on clubs you don’t think you’ll stick with).
- Take care of yourself – your health is imperative to enjoying and succeeding in your studies. You don’t want to burn yourself out in the first few weeks.
Your Money
Looking to open a student account but don’t know which one to choose?
Don’t be distracted by the free gifts! The most important aspect of any student bank account is the size of the interest-free overdraft. Most students depend on their overdraft, so securing one that’s interest fee will help save your precious pennies. Going beyond your interest-free overdraft facility can be very expensive, with rates for further authorised borrowing running at about 9%-10%. So shop around and try to find accounts with incentives that are going to help you live your student life – such as travel or store discounts.
The main high street banks are…
Credit cards
When it comes to student banking, there are two main things to avoid: unauthorised overdrafts and credit cards. The interest rates are massive and debts can build up very quickly. So if you can avoid them, do.
Discounts
As a student you’ll be eligible for loads of great discounts. We’ve put together some information to make sure you don’t miss out…
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- NUS card
When you register with your university you’ll get your NUS – National Union of Students identity card, which not only gets you into all of your university’s facilities and events but also saves you money too with handy discounts. - NUS Extra card
For even more benefits you can opt for an NUS Extra card. Prices start from just £12 and gets you discounts at Amazon, McDonalds, Co-Op, Superdrug, Ticketmaster and many more. - ISIC Card
International proof that you are a student, can be used abroad and offers a great range of benefits and discounts.
- NUS card
Your Travel
Student Railcard
Costs £30 per year and will save you up to 1/3 on rail fares throughout Great Britain for a whole year.
16-25 Railcard and Oyster Card
You can get the 16-25 Railcard discount applied to your Oyster Card. This gives you reduced rate travel across London. Very useful if you visit and travel around London frequently. To get the discount, simply take your registered card (if it’s not registered, you can do it all at the same time, there’s just an additional form to fill in) to an underground station, with your railcard, and ask for the student discount form. Fill it in and the discount will be applied straightaway.
Go Safely
Plan how you’re going to get somewhere before you go out. Making decisions before you go anywhere is always much safer, especially if you’re planning to have a drink or two, or three.
Taxis
Always try to book your taxi cab or private hire vehicle in advance with an operator you or a friend uses regularly. And don’t get into a private hire vehicle if you haven’t booked it.