As we begin another year, I think it’s only natural that we end up reflecting and reminiscing on all the things the year has brought us, but also on all the years which have passed us in a blink of an eye.

2024 will mark six years since I graduated from university, and in some ways it still feels like yesterday that I was experiencing the student life with all my friends.

I’ll admit that when I first started, I was entirely clueless about the experience. It was very much a dive-in-at-the-deep-end situation for me. I hadn’t lived on my own before, like I’m sure many other people hadn’t, and I had to a) try and navigate how to keep myself alive when I could barely cook, b) manage my studies, c) budget, and d) enjoy the experience – all of which were a learning curve. There was no student survival guide, and I simply had to figure it all out as I went along.

I was fortunate enough to be experiencing university at the same time as most of my friends, with a good support network of wisdom and advice around me to get me through. But, I know that there were many of my friends who were not as lucky, and who had to go through the experience entirely on their own. And it got me thinking, what if they didn’t have to? What if there was a guide that told them everything they needed to know about the university experience, so that they felt a little more prepared before being in the midst of it.

And so, I’ve decided to start a series: Student Survival Guide, where I’ll be sharing everything I know and learnt during my time as a student. From budgeting and money saving, living on and off campus, essay resources, thing I’d wish I’d done differently, and more – I’ll be posting it all on here in the hope that it is of tremendous use to you or somebody you know, and offers some guidance when it is needed most.