You’ve got your grades and you’re heading to uni! What now?
- Find your flatmates
Once you’ve got your place in halls confirmed you can join various pages on Facebook for that building – EG. “Bournemouth Accommodation – Flat Mate Finder”. On there, a lot of people post their building and flat number so it’s really easy to find some, if not all, of your flatmates quickly. Not being in the actual BU Uni Halls myself, I was still able to do this for my own building despite everyone having their own studio flat. I joined the building Facebook group and from then on I was updated on any news, trips, socials, and events taking place, making it easier to get to know others.
- Collect necessary items together
Make sure you have the texts you need for the start of the year!
You’ll be bringing quite a lot of belongings to university, so it’s now the time to organise everything together and make sure you don’t forget anything important (although this isn’t a huge problem if you do, as the shops are only a 10-15 minute walk from halls!). You may want to organise what you need for each room – bedroom, bathroom, kitchen – then by other categories. These could consist of introductory week (papers, forms, ID in order to completely sign onto your course), course items (so any books/textbooks, work you’ve had to complete, materials/tools if your course requires this etc.) and other categories you think are useful.
For the kitchen especially, be wary not to bring absolutely everything, as you will probably be sharing with 5 or 6 other people, so you might decide once you arrive and meet them, to collectively buy some bulk kitchen utensils if you wish. Take a look at the Bournemouth’s accommodation page to find out more information about living in halls of residence.
- Check out the local area and upcoming activities
Check out fresher events and societies!
Before coming to Bournemouth it may be a good idea to check out the area first. You may have already done this for any opens day attended, but it beneficial to return once you’ve gained your official place, if possible. Knowing where supermarkets are is useful. You have the big Asda very close to all halls of residence, opposite the train station and next to a gym. There is also a Tesco’s Express under Lyme Regis Halls, and a Lidl further into town. You also will not be short of cafe’s in Bournemouth, or clothing shops! But the main attraction is the lovely gardens which leads up to the beach! You may also want to check out any events or societies that you may be interested in joining in on during Fresher’s week, which is available on the Bournemouth website or mailed to you with the introductory pack.
Once you have got your place, this when it starts to get exciting! So remember to find out as much information as you can before you arrive, to make the first few days slightly less hectic!
