Every person makes mistakes – It’s a fact of life. When you’re new to university, you suddenly gain much more responsibility. This increases the opportunity for some real howlers. Below are five of the most common mistakes freshers like you make all the time. That’s assuming you haven’t already.

Taking Too Much Stuff

It’s tempting to think you have a whole room to yourself (and part of shared accommodation) and take more than you need. This is the most common mistake students make. They end up using their first break back to take stuff they realised they didn’t need. There is a good chance you won’t have a huge amount of storage.

You’ll also not need most of your GCSE or A-level stuff. Clean start, new programme. Chances are you won’t need most of it.

Not Covering Your Own Accommodation Back

Plenty of students have been hit with fines and withheld deposits the following summer. Why? Because they’re deemed responsible for damage, breakages, and missing items. If you see any problems in your room or around the flat, document it. It will be your only proof 8-9 months later if it was there when you moved in.

Cover yourself. Photograph stuff as soon as possible after moving in.

Doing All the Things During Fresher’s Week

You will get invited to every party, every taster session, and want to stop at every stall and attend the first session for every group. You can’t do it. The FOMO is strong during Fresher’s Week, but you will feel overwhelmed. This is partly the fear of not making friends or not having a social network, but you will.

Pace yourself. Don’t let excitement overtake you.

Not Exploring Where You Live

It’s daunting, but the sooner you explore the place the sooner you will find your way around. You’re going to need to know where the train station is for those day trips, the supermarkets, the pubs, the shopping centre – the more you explore the more it will feel like home.

Locals often feel students don’t integrate themselves into their towns. You might find stuff happening away from university life to interest you.

Buying All New Books

It happens every year – students go straight to Amazon or the university bookshop to buy brand new copies. Academic texts are expensive. What also happens is that past students struggle to sell their copies from last year.

Firstly, check the library to see how many copies it has. If it doesn’t seem to have enough of a core text, then do an online search at dedicated resale sites (not just Amazon and eBay).