Topic We Cover: Important Things to Keep in Mind if You Are Moving Away to College in Another City
1. Personal Safety
2. Make a ‘research trip’
3. The practicalities of socializing
4. Complete your packing well in advance
5. Supermarkets
6. Learn some form of cooking
7. Open spaces
8. Double-check all your papers/cards
9. Finding your way around
10. Carefully unpack
11. What’s on in the local area
12. Check base with your college
13. Local authorities
14. Spend time exploring the city
15. Where to buy essentials
16. Budgeting
17. Public transport
18. Establish a routine
19. Be confident
20. Change of address
21. Visiting in advance
22. Overall
After studying in a school for over 12 years and living in the comfort and familiar environment of home, going to college is an exciting (and sometimes scary) new adventure. The first step to adulthood and independence, there are a lot of changes that college brings with it: making new friends, studying a specialized subject, partaking in Extra-Curricular Activities, and going independently to different classes instead of a teacher coming to your classroom.
Your initial few weeks at university are a time when you already have plenty of other things to worry about, like completing your first Academic Assignments and making friends; not knowing where anything is, the added stress of not being able to find your way around, can make it all seem a bit overwhelming. However, there are a few things you can think about in advance to help you settle in more easily and to prepare you mentally for this exciting new phase of your life.
If you are moving to a college in another city, the change from home and school life to a new city and new college can seem frightening, especially if you have never lived away from family before. However, no need to be scared of, millions of students before you have made the change, and millions of students coming after will also do the same.
To make the best of the situation and be able to enjoy it to the fullest, it’s important to be prepared.
Given below are few important things to keep in mind if you are moving to college in another city:
Personal Safety
You need to feel calm and happy in your new town or city; after all, it can be tough enough to get used to living away from home, without the added worry of fearing for your safety. Inevitably, most cities have their rough areas, but it’s important to know where they are and how easy they are to avoid. You don’t need to find out when it’s too late that the Accommodation of University is in the city’s notorious rough area, for example; and nor is it good if an uneven area encloses an essential service, such as the train station.
A bit of active searching, or asking on an internet forum of students, should advised on which areas of the city are to be avoided, and you can then look for these areas on Google Maps to see where they are in relation to the places you’ll need to go. You can also collect some other safety tips via student internet forums, such as information about useful helplines or student night bus services, or places to avoid on a Saturday night.
Make a ‘research trip’
Go to the new city with your parents, where you will be studying and set out time to finalize your living arrangements and to fully explore the area. Colleges will typically have either On-campus hostel Arrangements, off-campus hostels or tie-ups with paying guest accommodations or other accommodations where students can live. Look around nearby common means of transport, eating places, and emergency doctors in the area.
The practicalities of socializing
You’ve likely already been told how many restaurants, cafes, and clubs your new town or city has, but one thing you might not have deliberated is how far these are away from your accommodation. Getting there may be all very well at the start of the evening if there’s a bus, but the bus might not run very late, and you’ll want to understand about the availability of registered taxis to get you home safely.
If you’re a girl, you don’t want to be having to walk miles in your heels every time you want to go out! For socialising during daytime, it helps to understand whereabouts to go for pleasant cafés where you can meet friends for coffee or perhaps do a bit of work with free wifi.
Complete your packing well in advance
You may be desirous to drop packing to the final minute, but earlier packing means less risk of leaving behind things that you may end up requiring. Pack a variety of comfortable clothing, useful shoes, necessary electronics, toiletries, and a basic first-aid kit. Based on where you will be living while in college, you can pack supplementary household belongings as required. Carrying a lock would also be beneficial, especially if you might be Living With Roommates or housemates.
Supermarkets
When you transit to university, you’ll have to understand about something that your parents probably did for you up until now: food and shopping. Suddenly, all types of practical mental analysis about supermarkets come into play. Is it within walking distance? How far is it from your accommodation to the nearest supermarket?, or will you have to take a bus with all your shopping (never easy – I’ve tried!)? How far will you have to walk with heavy bags of shopping? Another consideration is how big your nearest supermarket is. Smaller ones tend to be more expensive, with a more limited choice of groceries and probably no homeware.
Does it sell the type of things you’ll want to buy, or have you moved into a very upmarket area where you can get ten different types of speciality cheese and no tins of beans? Does your nearest supermarket have some good loyalty scheme to help you save money or some good bargains?
Learn some form of cooking
Now, we’re not suggesting that you go into full-on chef mode, but at least learn how to make Maggi, some sandwiches, and similar simple items. This will help you if you get any sudden hunger pangs and cooked food is not readily available. While you straighten out, or even later when you get engage with college studies and activities, this basic cooking may come in handy.
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Open spaces
Most University Campuses have some open green spaces in which you can relax on a sunny day, but if you want to get away from campus, you’ll need to understand that there are various other amiable and friendly places for you to go. Botanical gardens, Parks, open countryside, and riverbanks are all places you can go when you need to relax from the pressures of university and enjoy the great outdoors. If you’re more of a country person than a city person, it’s particularly essential to understand where the green spaces are, and you’ll probably find it effortless to cope with living in a tiny town or somewhere with effortlessly access to the countryside.
Double-check all your papers/cards
As you will be staying away from your parents, it is required that you organize and carry your essential documents with you safely. These would include Aadhaar card, a driver’s license if applicable, debit/credit card, ATM card, bank details, possibly a cheque book, a brief medical history, PAN card, College Admissions papers and student ID card. Once you start college you will most likely get more documents and cards that will require to be kept safely.
Finding your way around
If you’re frightened by the prospect of finding your way around your new town or city, you’re not alone. It can make you feel terribly homesick when, after experienced all the shortcuts in your home town, you realise that you can’t even get to the supermarket without a map; but these feelings will soon dissipate once you get used to your new home. One method of learning how to find your technique around quickly is to push yourself to go on walks around the town or city every day. This will bring you away from your desk, getting to know the layout of the streets, getting some exercise, and where everything is.
Attempt to take various routes each day, as you’ll find out new things, see places you might want to go with friends, and chance upon useful shortcuts that might help you get to lectures more quickly (if you’re at a university that’s spread out across a city). You could even take benefit of advance technology to get to understand the city a bit more before you move in, by spending some time exploring the place on Google Street View!
Carefully unpack
Once you reach your new place of living, it’s understandable that you would unpack, but a beneficial tip is to take pictures of where you have kept things in your room. This will help you when you are searching for a particular item but there is nobody else to help you look. Instead of wasting time searching, you can pull up your pictures and voila, a lead to where your missing belonging is.
What’s on in the local area
Some people find that university life can be a bit stifling from time to time, and prefer to do some of their socialising in the ‘real world’, away from the university bubble. In such times, it can be a rejuvenating change if the town or city you going is one in which there’s always something going on for non-students and students alike. Beer festivals in local cafes, Christmas markets, carnivals and other such events can all add to the enjoyment of your University Experience and help you meet locals. Mingling with non-students is good for you in that it helps you begin the adjustment to ‘real life’, which can seem fairly distant when you’re heavily involved in university life.
Necessarily, though, university life will come to an edge, and if you’re already make prepared to life outside campus, you’ll find the change much effortless to cope with. University is a changeover period from childhood to adulthood, and the more you start thinking about life beyond your education, the easier you’ll find it to make that change.
Check base with your college
After reaching your new city the first essential task is to check in with the college, take class schedules, finish up any pending paperwork, or anything else that is needed. Once you have completed the formalities, take the time to Explore the College Campus, learn your way around, and basically get the feel of it. Maybe you will run into people who will become your good friends, and help in effortless adjustment into college life and life in the new city.
Local authorities
It sounds boring, but you’ll need to have some idea of who the local authority is for your town or city, because you’ll almost certainly end up living in privately rented room at some point during your years at university. Even as a student you’ll have to pay council tax, and you may have other reasons for contacting the council, for instance if you have a noise complaint.
Spend time exploring the city
Independently moving to a new city can be stimulating, so why not enjoy the experience? Discover the new city, view the touristy places, top hangouts, maybe take along some of your new buddies. Before college exploring the city will help you feel a sense of home and belonging, and help you settle into the new city.
Where to buy essentials
You may have been organised and bought everything you think you’ll need – such as pots, pans and crockery – but there’s bound to be something you’ve forgotten. To save time of yourself when you’re meeting new people or moving in, it will be helpful to understand in advance exactly where you can get affordable life essentials, as this will save you having to move about aimlessly around your new city trying to find an appropriate shop. Current University Students will be able to recommend, so perhaps ask on a student’s forum or Google it.
Bigger supermarkets are also good for this kind of thing, as their homeware sections tend to be much cheaper than you’d find elsewhere.
Budgeting
Living away from home will require you to manage your finances in a more careful manner, planning your budget, keeping a safe amount of cash in hand and in your residence while also avoiding theft. Your parents are no longer there as a monetary safety net, and you will also have to acknowledge food expenses and college versus your personal interests such as movies or shopping.
Public transport
Unless you’re lucky enough to be bringing your own vehicle to university like car (and that’s not always recommended, as Many University Cities aren’t particularly car-friendly, and are accessible enough to get around that cars aren’t actually worth the money), you’ll need to find out about the option of public transport in your new town or city. Big cities tend to be better equipped in this regard than smaller ones. You should already have an uneven idea of where your campus, department and accommodation are, and therefore how far you’ll have to travel and so on. From here, you can work out whether you’ll be able to walk to places or depend on public transport.
Download a bus route map from the local bus company’s website to see where your nearest bus stops are, and take a look at specific timetables to see how often and how late buses run. Your other option is to bring a bike with you, in which case you’ll need to take adequate safety precautions to safeguard your bike against theft.
Establish a routine
It can be immensely tempting to fall into a routine of late nights and late mornings, but while you can indulge in such habits initially, it will be in your best concern to manage yourself into a more productive routine, especially by the time College Classes initiates. Try to sleep on time, wake up early and incorporate some form of exercise in your day, at least during the weekdays. Although parents may not be around to plan in force these habits, by the time that college gets into the flow, when you are full of energy and your late waking classmates are tired you will be delightful that you had initiated a healthy routine.
Be confident
To pursue college in another city moving away from home can be stressful and scary, which is why you should keep in mind to be positive and confident. As this is your first major step into adulthood the change may be intimidating, so try to take each day one at a time. In no time at all, into independent life you will be settled and will be enjoying your newfound freedom, new learning atmosphere, and new friends.
Change of address
Even though your parents are apparently going to be happy to handle your mail, there are a few people or companies who may require to understand your new address when you move to university. It can also be more convenient for you to have correspondence sent to you at your university address. Let change the address on your bank details, as well as any loyalty cards you’re signed up for, so that you get sent vouchers direct to your University Accommodation. Also, make sure you let your family and friends know your new address so that they can still write to you – you’d be surprised how much communications from home can brighten up your day when you’re immersed in university work.
Visiting in advance
You’ve no doubt already visited the town or city before, for open days and possibly interviews, but it’s worth making another trip prior to initiating your course, just so that you can again familiarize yourself with the place and starts the mental adjustment to taking everything in mind this your new home. The best time to do this is between results day and when you initialize your course, as you’ll know by then that this is where you’re definitely going, and you’ll view the place in a whole new light in view of this certainty. Once you arrive in your first week, you can really initiate getting to understand your new home by exploring it with your new friends.
Overall
In the life of any Student Joining College is a big step, with the changes in curriculum, teaching style, and overall atmosphere. If you are joining a college in another city and moving away from home, it may come out daunting, to be living on your own. However, with a confidence, positive attitude, and full preparation, you can make a effortless transition into the next level of your life.
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