Top tips for settling into new student accommodation
- Choosing the right accommodation is key
- Take advantage of shared social spaces and organised events to make friends fast
- Explore and get to know your local area as quickly as possible to feel at home
Heading off to university can be a daunting prospect for several reasons. It’s an exciting time but also a nerve-inducing one for many students. Thankfully, luxury accommodation providers such as Collegiate AC have been working hard to ensure that settling into their accommodation doesn’t have to be one of the items on first year students’ list of things to worry about.
“There are several steps that students can take to ensure that they settle quickly into their accommodation. The first, of course, is to find the right accommodation – somewhere that students will feel safe, happy and have the peace to study.”
Heriberto Cuanalo, CEO, Collegiate AC
Knowing that they have luxurious accommodation lined up is perhaps the biggest reassurance that students can have. A crop of outstanding new facilities, such as Eclipse in Cardiff, which is part of Collegiate’s Fusion Students Collection, have raised the bar in terms of what students can expect.
The accommodation is designed to ensure that students can settle in as quickly as possible, giving them a ‘home from home’ complete with en-suite facilities, a spacious desk area, plentiful storage, a comfy bed and a flat-screen TV.
Collegiate is committed to providing pastoral care as well as superb accommodation, and each development comes with an on-site team to provide support in times of need, as well as practical advice. These teams have put their heads together in order to provide top tips to help students settle in this autumn.
Collegiate’s Top Tips for Settling into New Accommodation
- Prepare a list
There’s nothing quite as reassuring as knowing you’ve done everything you can to prepare. Whether it’s your favourite posters, your can’t-live-without CDs or your stack of textbooks, arriving knowing you’ve got everything you need will ensure that you’re instantly more relaxed.
- Don’t take more than you need to
Some people enjoy packing. Many more don’t. As such, don’t go through the pain of packing saucepans, sheets or shampoo if you don’t have to. Look for a provider that offers lifestyle services as well as accommodation.
These can include set packs of goods to ensure that your accommodation feels more homely when you arrive, from bedding to cutlery. The result is that you’ll arrive feel calmer and with less to unpack, which makes for a much quicker process of settling in.
- Get involved
Remember that you’re not the only student to arrive feeling nervous about your new environment. That’s why universities have ‘Freshers’ Week.’ Freshers Week refers to the first week at uni when first years settle in for the year ahead. There are plenty of practical details to take care of (registering with a doctor, touring the library, meeting your tutors, etc.) but also plenty of social events organised just for first years. These can range from nights out to paintballing. Throw yourself into these in order to familiarise yourself with your new surroundings and what’s on offer. Doing so will help you to feel connected to your new city faster.
4. Make friends
It’s probably been a long time since you’ve had to make so many new friends, but this is another area that your choice of accommodation can help with. At Crown House in Sheffield, for example, the Prestige Collection accommodation includes an outdoor courtyard cinema, BBQ and alfresco dining area, fitness suite, gaming booths, dinner party room, flexible lounge area and study zones. That gives you plenty of options for hanging out and having fun while getting to know your peers. The on-site team also organises events specifically to help first years settle in, so make the most of these as well and you’ll soon feel right at home.
5. Get lost
If you’ve chosen your accommodation wisely, you should find that the whole of your new city is on your doorstep, ripe for exploration.
Residents of Ernest Place in Durham, for example, are just 10 minutes from the shops, restaurants and nightlife of the city centre. As such, head out with no destination in mind and see what you find. Keep an eye out for everything from your nearest post box to the local bus stop. You’ll quickly start to feel familiar with your new area, as well as discovering the unique charms that your new town or city has to offer.
“Above all, remember that all the other freshers are in the same boat as you. It’s natural to feel both nervous and excited when you start a new chapter in your life. Use our top tips to ensure you settle in quickly and ditch those nerves. Then you can truly start to enjoy the university experience to the max.”
Heriberto Cuanalo, CEO, Collegiate AC
For more information and to book accommodation in university towns and cities across the UK, contact Collegiate on +44 1235 250 140 or visit www.collegiate-ac.com.