My advice for second year university students

Hey! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Zoe and I am a Modern Languages and European Studies student at the University of Bath. I have just finished my second year at University, with all the changes that implies, so I have decided to write up an advice post which I hope will be of use to some of you. All based on my experience, of course, and closely tied to life in Bath, but I’d like to think it is similar elsewhere too.

PRIVATE HOUSING

In the UK, as far as I know, you are entitled to live in university accommodation (also called halls of residence) during your first year, mostly to adapt to University life and get to know your peers before second year, when you have to move out into private accommodation. In Bath’s case, there is a bit of a housing crisis going on at the moment in which there are too many students and not enough houses to rent; I signed the contract for my second year house in February 2015, after having done some house hunting for a couple of weeks. Not too early, but not too late either, I’d suggest as soon as you are sure of who you want to live with (and don’t rush into this, time shows you what people are actually like), you start looking. This year we were four in our house. My housemates were all from Brendon Court, the hall of residence I lived in as a first year: two other girls I’m very close to and a guy who does the same degree as me with a different language combination.

We were really lucky to get a very well located house, pretty decent, rent on the lower end of the scale and close to the bus routes. Here is a break-down of Bath’s zones as far as I know:

a.       Oldfield Park: the student-area par excellence, the vast expanse of houses behind the train station. I lived here, just off Moorland Road, which is a nifty road full of shops. There is a Co-op, Sainsbury’s, tons of charity shops and a couple restaurants and cafés among other useful shops. Rents vary, but they can be anything between 280-450 pounds a month, depending on the property. The area is well connected, with the 20C, 10, U1, U18 buses running frequently, and you can easily walk into town if it isn’t raining. Quite the deal to be fair.

b.   Town: the ideal place to live, close to everything you might need – clubs, restaurants, shops, supermarkets… However, rent is certainly higher (+£400/month) and you risk not getting on a bus, which are jam-packed coming from Oldfield at peak times.

c.       North of Bath: I don’t really know how to call this area (probably has a name but I don’t know it). I mean the houses north of the Crescent and Circus. Still close enough to town (albeit on a hill) and price-wise, I’m assuming similar to houses in town. Bus connections are not great though, because the closest bus up to campus leaves from the Abbey, so be prepared to walk every morning.

d.      Southdown/Combe Down: quite big and nice houses, rent-wise prices range, again, but student houses in Bath are all pretty much around the £400/month mark. Bus connections are alright, but you are likely to rely on buses every hour or going into town and then getting the University buses.

e.      Bathwick Hill: the hill up to University, ideal place between Uni and town but I personally did not know anybody living there this year.

f.        There are probably more areas that I don’t know about; when we were house-hunting, our main goal was to find a place that was decently priced and near a U1/U18 bus stop.

*Rent prices don’t include bills, by the way.

When it comes to house-hunting, make sure to look out for signs of damp, check taps and water pressure, check the security (locks, fire blankets, extinguishers), check that windows are double-glazed/there are radiators in all rooms… It is quite tedious and daunting, and it is hard to do on your own so I’d suggest you split the checklist as it is easy to get carried away prying on the current tenant’s belonging… Houses in Bath are pretty old so damp is a major problem and, as someone who is asthmatic, I was really concerned about it. When it comes to signing the contract and all that bureaucratic stuff, the University can help you out. In Bath, check out the Student Advice and Representation Centre (https://www.bathstudent.com/advice/ ), they checked our contract before we signed it and were happy to help with any questions we had.

Once you move in, make sure you check the inventory and try to have a good relationship with your landlord and neighbours (introduce yourself to them!). Also make sure you know what your responsibilities are (for instance, we had to call and pay for a jetting service to unblock our pipe because the pipes were our responsibility, but when it came to changing the kitchen tap to stop leaking, it was the landlady’s responsibility – the contract should state all this).

Most importantly, try to make yourself feel at home. I found this the hardest. As it was an old house, things were not as neat and tidy as campus accommodation: mismatched furniture, empty walls, peeling wallpaper, carpet, some black patches on the walls that worried me… The first few weeks before I started classes again and got into my routine I felt awfully homesick. This time I was moving on my own, no parents to help me unpack; the house wasn’t as great as home and I missed the sun and my family. But once I had decorated the place, it started to feel like my room and, eventually, you get to know the house – the noises, the perks and the problems – and it sort of becomes your second home. Just give it some time.

HOUSE CHORES

So, now that you live in your own privately-rented house, you have to take care of it. In our case, we found the best way of doing it was splitting the chores. We were four, so each one was responsible for cleaning their own room and clean after them in the communal areas (ie. toilet, living room, kitchen, shower etc.). These were cleaned thoroughly once a week. We split it up so that each of us only had to clean the house once a month (four people, four weeks, duh) and we kept track on the kitchen blackboard. Pretty efficient and convenient. Make sure you meet up with your housemates and come up with a plan from the start to avoid arguments.

Concerning the laundry, the Circuit Laundry nightmare was finally over. We had our own washing machine so we could wash the clothes at home, but it being England (ie. rain all day), they took forever to air-dry in the house. Unless the sun was shining outside or the radiators were on, drying took genuinely forever so thank-God for the launderette at the end of Moorland, those driers saved our lives. Definitely recommend having a tumble drier in the house if you can afford it.

MONEY MANAGEMENT

When it comes to house expenses and bills, you have to decide as a house. Shop around for Internet and Electicity/Gas companies. In our case, we used Virgin and Npower respectively, and the water was provided by the landlady. We just paid by bank transfer and then paid back the person who was billed for the instalment. Another tip is to restrict the use of radiators. Hot-water bottles and blankets are a must, but it gets to a point when you do need radiators. We had them on twice a day Autumn through to mid-Spring; make sure you turn them off when you don’t actually need them anymore, the temptation is strong. House stuff like sponges, cleaning products or kitchen paper one of us would buy as necessary and the split the cost and get paid back.

When it comes to food, we started differently than we finished. In the beginning, the plan was that each week one of us would cook a meal per day for the house. There would be one main food shopping a week “for the house” with the cost split among us and we’d have one meal ready and the other one, usually lunch, to organize as each of us felt was convenient. It worked for a while, despite meaning having to plan in advance all the cooking time when it was our turn to cook. Then the trouble with dietary requirements and lack of time started to arise and we ended up giving up on house cooking. It was personally better for me anyway, because I would eat what I wanted and just had to prep meals in advance. This is key. If you still don’t know how to cook properly (and I know there is some of you out there), then learn. I would cook on Sundays and have food ready until Wednesday and then cook again for food until Saturday. Meals of the sort of garbanzas, veggie stir-fries, chicken, baked veggies, samosas… Balanced meals with protein, carbs… that I could keep in the fridge and warm-up as needed. It saved me so much money because I didn’t have to buy food on the go on campus, which after a while can get really expensive. And also a lot of time because, by bulk-cooking, I didn’t have to spend time in the kitchen after a long day and I would just be able to warm up food in the microwave and move along with my day (and I hate cooking, so that feeling was amazing!). Also, pro-tip, if you don’t have much time between your lectures to queue for the microwave on campus, bring along a samosa or salad, something that doesn’t need heating up; the queues get so long you might end up having to gulp down your food otherwise!

Anyhow, the main thing is to keep on top of the expenses. Check your bank account from time to time, or even keep a log of what you spend. Then you will be able to indulge on a meal-out, some food delivery or a proper night-out without feeling guilty!

BUSES

Ah, the bus madness. As I said, I was lucky to live near a bus stop, one of the first stops on the line where students get on so usually I’d manage to get on the bus, but still a nightmare.

First, decide which company you want to use. Wessex (U18) has smaller buses that run less regularly but they are a lot cheaper. First buses (U1) now run frequently during the day and they are 24/7 meaning that you can take the bus home after a night out. Also, there are double deckers going into town and articulated buses going down to Oldfield, meaning more capacity. However, they are more expensive and quite popular, so they get full very quickly. This is the option I went for. I’d also like to add that the academic year ticket gets reduced a couple of weeks into the semester, so maybe waiting a little is cost-effective, but don’t quote me on that.

Second, the queue that you get at the stop is amazingly long, it doesn’t matter which bus you are taking, so if you want to have a shot at getting on it, you better get there early so you are at the front of the queue; there have been times the bus didn’t even stop because it was already full from the previous stop once it came along… Personally, it got to a point when I’d rather get up earlier and get a bus a little earlier than necessary; this allowed me to skip the crowds and stress and arrive on campus with enough time to grab a coffee and reply to some emails before strolling into the lecture. Not too shabby, I’d say. It’s just a matter of figuring out what works best for you. Oh, and you’ll spend quite a lot of time on the bus so make sure you have music/something to read with you because sometimes it stressed me out, particularly during rush-hour when the buses can be stopped near Dorchester Street for literally half an hour. Usually, it is a half an hour ride from Oldfield to campus, if not less, but that is when there is no traffic, so be wary.

YOUR DEGREE

You’re doing a degree here, remember? And this time the work actually counts towards your degree results. My advice? Keep on top of the work load, obvious, right? By second year, you know what to expect with exams, the different teachers, the assignments… However, be warned because they raise the standards, they really do. I felt the drop on my marks even though I still worked hard, so make sure you plan your time and don’t leave things for the last minute (particularly if you need to do a lot of reading for your course).You will have a lot of things on your plate: studying, potentially also working, doing other activities, doing house chores… Make sure you prioritize and manage your time properly (be realistic and allocate reasonable time slots for the different chores; a 300 page French novel isn’t going to get read in an hour and a half) so you don’t stress out; it takes some practice, but it is vital. There is a lot more pressure on you in comparison to first year and you might feel you don’t have enough time. The temptation to skip lectures is very real because who wants to have to wake up really early to catch the bus and make it to a boring 9am? Might as well stay in bed. But no, pull yourself out of bed and do it, even if you need to chug down a whole venti to keep you going, but do it, really, because at the end of the day, the effort is for you and your future alone, no one else’s.

During your second year, you will also get bombarded with a lot more emails about Career events and opportunities and training sessions. Give them a read, don’t just delete them directly. You might find something useful. For instance, I went to a Careers Event on Interpreting and Translating this year, which is the career path I want to follow. I learnt a lot and got into contact with people who can potentially help me along the way. Even if it isn’t an event to help your long-run career plan, a lot of you might have a placement year which they have to prepare for and send applications, and this year is usually the third one, so make sure you attend the information sessions or workshops your Department might organize for you. I have my Year Abroad coming up next year and I spent a good portion of my second year going to information sessions, brushing up my interview skills, improving my CV and cover letters and managing all the ERASMUS paperwork. Not fun, I admit it. It was really tedious and required a lot of hard-work but it was worth it! And don’t be disheartened if you don’t get the first job you apply for, keep trying!

SOCIETIES, CLUBS & GOING-OUT

Finally, the fun part of University. From my experience, now that you don’t live on campus it will be a tad harder to make plans and keep in contact. It was easier when living in halls because everybody literally lived a couple of minutes away, but now you will probably be all scattered around town. Meet up for lunch or coffee, go out to the park, go to the cinema, host a house party. Don’t let yourself sink under the workload and make sure you also have fun and mingle because this is the time to do so. I did feel like I had less time or less will to go out though, not going to lie. A 9am kept me from going out the night before, a long day of lectures and other commitments left me knackered and ready for bed – but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy myself. I still went out from time to time, I explored Bath properly (still am), and I took part in clubs and societies (by the way, if you are able to, I’d recommend getting involved in the committee positions of your favourite societies. Looks great on the CV and it is a way of giving back to a club you love!)

After being in University for a year, you finally realize what works for you and what doesn’t. During the start of my second year, I was adamant on choosing the right societies this time. I gave up volleyball and shifted to fencing – greatest decision ever. I had a two hour training a week and although I still suck at fencing, I had a really fun time! And it’s not all about the training, they also organized socials so we got to know each other better and enjoy ourselves. I also took up boot camp as another means of doing sport, which left me full of sore muscles but felt great at the end of the day. And I also joined some societies like FrenchSoc and, of course, BUSMS, the Bath University Student Musicals Society (if you read my blog, you probably already know all of this). I was missing some sort of artistic past-time during my first year so joining BUSMS couldn’t have turned out better – taking part in shows was not only fun and gave me a break from the degree, but it also increased my confidence and taught me great time-management skills. I’ve met a lot of amazing people and learnt a lot of new skills over the past year. So, if you were happy with your first-year society choices, by all means keep them up! If not, don’t be afraid to change it up and try something new, you’d be surprised! I would have never pictured myself up on a stage singing and dancing!

MY OPINION

On a more soppy note, I am not going to lie, I miss the fresher life – less worries and the convenience of living on campus -, but I have had a blast as a second year and wouldn’t have changed it for the world. Although being a returner means you have a lot more responsibilities, be it academically with your work weighed for your final mark, be it on a day-to-day basis having to live in your own house with all that entails (cleaning, cooking, bills…), I am proud to say I have had a demanding but awfully fantastic time in Bath this year. It might have started a bit gloomier than as a fresher, not having all the excitement of the new people and new place, but I can say I made it through and have had a great time studying what I love and making the most of my time. I have learnt to keep on top of my work-load so that I have enough time to do what I enjoy, be it training, watching TV series or rehearsing for a new show, and I have opened up to new experiences because that is what you do at University. And if nobody wants to join you, shame on them, go ahead and do it on your own – it is better to solo jump on the deep end than later regret not giving it a chance! I am going to miss Bath next year and can’t wait to be back for my final year - hope your second year is as fantastic as mine was, if not better!

Zoe, over and out.

Find last year’s advice post for freshers here: http://gathering-smithereens.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/my-advice-for-freshers-aka-first-year.html?m=0

If you want to read more about my University adventure, click here: http://gathering-smithereens.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/MyUniversityExperience?m=0

Year One: http://gathering-smithereens.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Y1?m=0

Year Two: http://gathering-smithereens.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Y2?m=0