One week to go!

I'm nearly there! In six days, I will be moving to University!

My room is slowly becoming a tip with all the things I need to pack - I have a huge pile under my window of clothes, bedding, towels and food, plus two bags of pots, pans and other cooking utensils, plus a bunch of other kitchen/bathroom laundry items under my bed. Oh, and of course my bag, notebooks, textbooks, ring binders and two different bins that are currently in my cupboard.

Yep, I really need to start packing.

I've been getting quite anxious over the weekend to get there now, mainly because most of my friends (that are going to uni) are already there, and I just want it to be my turn. And I really want to get the whole moving-in process done and out of the way, because I'm really dreading having to pack all my stuff and then unpack it again and try to fit it all in to my tiny room. And then, obviously, having to say goodbye to my parents. I think it will end up being quite an emotionally exhausting day.

Yesterday, I went through the (very confusing) process of selecting my optional module for my course this year. Next year I get to select more modules, but most of this year are set modules as an introduction to the course. So, the module I picked is called Witchcraft, magic and belief in early modern Europe - I'm studying English Literature, but I think
this is a History module. Either way, it sounds very different and quite interesting, so fingers crossed I get it!

One of the ways I've been preparing for University the past couple of weeks is by cooking my own meals. As someone
who doesn't have much experience with cooking at all, I was worrying about having to do this when I went away, especially as I don't want to live off takeaways and ready meals the entire three years - so my Mum had the idea of letting me go shopping for the ingredients myself, and then showing me how to cook some easy meals with my own pans and utensils. So far I have done vegetable stir fry and bolognaise, and some point during the week I'm going to do mince and gravy with mashed potato, as this is one of my favourite dinners. This was a really good idea of my Mum's, as it has helped me gain a lot more confidence with cooking - so thanks, Mum!

In other, more unfortunate, news, I have caught a cold - I had a feeling I was going to because my Mum had one, but I'm rather annoyed about it all the same. I really hope it clears up before Sunday, because I really don't want to move to uni with a cold.

And that's pretty much it for this update! Whether you've already moved to University, are moving at the same time as me or going later, good luck, and I will speak to you on moving day!

My Worries About Starting University

With moving day just around the corner, it's safe to say I have a few worries about starting someplace completely new with loads of people I've never met before, and I would like to take some time now to discuss them - mainly because I think it will be therapeutic for me to write about how I'm feeling, but also because someone might stumble across this who is feeling the same and might find it helpful to see that they're not alone. So, without further ado, these are my main worries about starting University and the famous/dreaded Fresher's Week...

1. Loneliness
Loneliness is something I have always struggled with anyway, but what really scares me right now is that during any of the nights of Fresher's Week, I'm going to end up alone in my room, watching Netflix and feeling sorry for myself, because I won't have anyone to do anything with. I've bought tickets to the Welcome Party on the night I move in, the Welcome Ball at the end of the week and an additional club night during the week, all of which I'm planning on going to with my flatmates, but what about the other nights? Hopefully some of my flatmates will be staying in some nights so we could have a bit of a quiet night in, and I won't be sitting around on my own feeling lonely.

2. Being Homesick
I'm really worried about homesickness, because I know I definitely will feel it quite a lot while I'm settling down. I'm really going to miss my parents (and my dog) and watching telly together as a family in the evenings - I just have this image of, again, sitting alone in my room at night watching Friends or Doctor Who (which are the shows we watch together) and feeling homesick. This is the worry that has really been upsetting me recently, and I don't really know what I'll be able to do to resolve this when the time comes - maybe it'll be a situation where I just have to ride it out until I settle down.

3. Making Friends
It's quite difficult for me to walk up to a stranger and start up a conversation, so I'm worried about making friends, both with my flatmates and the people on my course. I don't want to end up alone, but building friendships takes a lot of time, and because I have low confidence and low self-esteem, I often manage to convince myself that people don't like me or don't want to talk to me - even though most of the time, this is not at all true. However, University is a clean slate, and everyone will be in the same position as me where they don't know anybody and are - most likely - feeling nervous, so I'm hoping that will help me be brave when the time comes.

4. The Work
I've not really got a lot to say about this one, but I'm worried about the big jump in the workload from A Levels to University - the work is going to get a lot tougher, and I'm worried that I'll struggle to keep up, or see someone coping better than me and lose confidence in myself. What I've got to remember is that I am good at the subject I am doing, I worked hard to get the grades and got accepted into my first choice University, and I deserve to be there just as much as anyone else -  and the same goes for all of you, as well.

5. Stress
To finish off my 'worry list', I've got quite a big one: stress. This is something that always effects me badly when I have a coursework deadline or an exam, and I have never been able to cope with it - ever since my GCSEs, stress has always resulted in me feeling extremely anxious, having panic attacks, nosebleeds, and feeling extremely burned out, which is never useful. Even though my course doesn't have exams, I will have coursework, and I'm really worried that I'll get badly stressed out again and I won't be at home. However, I am going into this year with a bit of a plan. Before my A Level exams, one of my teachers sent me to the Nurse because I was having a breakdown in the lesson due to stress, and she gave me a breathing technique to do and a stress ball. Although neither of these things sound very useful, I was surprised by how much they helped calm me down and stop panicking. Finally, if I'm really struggling at University, I will go and find someone to talk to about it, because my previous experience shows that that's the best thing to do when I feel like I can't cope.

And that finishes off my main worries about starting University. Like I said at the beginning, this was mainly a therapeutic post to talk through my worries, and I will say that it has helped me to see them all written down. All these aside, I am excited to start University and am looking forward to starting this new chapter in my life!

What are your University worries?

Twitter: @NatalieSillito3

What I'm taking to University!

So, with my first year at University starting in two weeks, I thought I'd start blogging my experience of moving and studying in a new place, as I'm hoping University will be a really positive experience that I will want to look back on in the future. So, without further ado, lets get started with my list of what I'm taking to University!

Kitchen (most of this stuff belonged to my brother when he was at uni and isn't new so I can't list where it came from; however, I will do with the few new things I have.)

• Can opener (Wilko)
• Glasses (×2) (Wilko)
• Chopping board (Wilko)
• Pizza tray (Wilko)
• Cutlery
• Microwave pot
• Slotted spoon
• Pizza cutter
• Wooden spoon
• Bottle opener
• Big frying pan
• Small frying pan
• Baking tray
• Pot
• Sponges (×2)
• Oven gloves (Wilko)
• Knife
• Washing up liquid (Tesco)
• Dinner plates (x2) (M&S)
• Smaller plate (M&S)
• Bowl (M&S)
• Tupperware container
• Tea towels (x3)
• Mugs (x4)
• Dish cloths
• Potato masher (Wilko)
• Potato peeler (Wilko)
• Anti-bacterial wipes (Wilko)

Food

• Spaghetti hoops (×2)
• Tuna (×3)
• Coffee
• Hot chocolate 
• Gravy granules
• Stir fry noodles
• Stir fry sauce
• Mayonnaise
• Crusha
• Stir fry oil

Bathroom 

• Sponge (Tesco)
• Soap (Tesco)
• Toothpaste (Tesco)
• Toilet rolls (Tesco)
• Toothbrush (Boots)
• Shower gel (Tesco)
• Shampoo (Tesco)
• Conditioner (Tesco)
• Shower puff (Tesco)
• Hand towels (×2) (Next)
• Bath towels (×2) (Next)
• Flannels (×4) (Next)
• Bin (Next)
• Deodorant (Tesco)
• Perfumes/Body sprays (Next/Body Shop/Ted Baker)
• Sanitary products (Tesco)
• Bin liners (Tesco)

Laundry (again, some belonged to my brother and are not new)

• Laundry tablets (Tesco)
• Clothes airer
• Iron
• Ironing board
• Laundry bin
• Laundry bags

Make-up

• Beauty blenders (Primark)
• Foundation (×2) (Boots)
• Eyebrow pencils (×2) (Boots)
• Eyeshadow palettes (×3)
• Eyeliner (×3) (Boots)
• Mascara (×2) (Boots)
• Highlighter (Boots)
• Concealer (×2) (Boots)
• Brushes (×5) (Next)
• Make-up bags (×3)
• Make-up wipes (Tesco)
• Micella water (Tesco)
• Cotton pads (Tesco)
• Toner (Tesco)

Bedding

• Pillows (×2) (Next)
• Duvet (Next)
• Bottom sheets (×2) (Primark)
• Duvet sets (×2) (Primark)
• Mattress protector 
• Blanket

Miscellaneous (basically I didn't know which category to put them in lol)

• Coat hangers (×8) (Wilko)
• Tissues (×2) (Tesco)
• First aid kit (Boots)
• Microwavable cushion
• Hairbrush
• Comb
• Bag (Superdry)
• Handbags
• Photos
• Pleasure books
• Stress ball

Electrics

• Laptop+charger
• Phone+charger
• Tablet+charger
• Extension cable
• USB memory stick
• Earphones
• TV
• Hair dryer
• Hair straighteners 
• Hair curler
• Hair crimper

Stationary

• Pens
• Lined notepads (×2) (WHSmiths)
• Ring binders (×3)
• Highlighters (WHSmiths)
• Post-it notes
• Diary/journal
• Course books

Clothing

• T-shirts
• Jumpers
• Jeans
• Underwear
• Dressing gown
• Slippers
• Jackets
• Winter coat
• Shoes

And so this is the list thus far! It will be updated over the next couple of weeks as I get/think of more stuff to add.

Who's excited for uni? :)

Twitter: @NatalieSillito3