College Hacks You NEED to Know

There are so many things that I wish I knew when I started college that would have made my life so much easier, so I’m sharing those things with all of you who are starting college soon like a virtual good luck present.

1. Have an umbrella in your bag at all times. We all know how unpredictable the weather is in Ireland and rain in particular is definitely no exception to this rule. Depending on your course, you may be fortunate enough to stay in the same building, but in all likelihood you will have to travel from place to place for lectures and labs etc. When the colder weather kicks in, you will definitely be grateful to your umbrella for keeping you dry.
2. Get a locker. If you commute to and from college everyday from home having a little space that is your own is something you will be grateful for. If you are living in student accommodation near campus this wont be as essential, but if you’re living at home it’s definitely worth considering. I didn’t get a locker this year and out of everything it is the one thing I wish I did the most.
3. Use your college services. I don’t know if it’s just an Irish thing to get your money’s worth, but you definitely should. I can only speak from my experience with UCC, but there are so many opportunities to be taken advantage of. There is pretty much a service there for everything from student health to student activities and nearly everything is at no extra cost apart from your college fees. Keep an eye out for all of the free workshops and tutorials that are available across an array of disciplines and if one catches your eye go for it, why not?
4. Wear clothing that makes you feel comfortable. This is probably the first time that you get to decide what you wear on a daily basis and it can be daunting. Don’t dwell too long on thinking ‘oh god what will I wear’ and just wear whatever you feel comfortable in , be that track pants or a dress and boots. Dress how you want to dress, not how you think college people dress. There may be occasions when you have to dress a certain way for a professional setting, but for day to day college this isn’t the case. Just do you.
5. Trust me, everyone is not looking at you. I remember my first day of college walking to my first lecture through a crowd of people thinking ‘oh god, everyone is staring at me’. I have no idea where I got this notion from because they 100% were not and I have never been one to really care about what other people do. After making friends and discussing our first days in college together later on it is safe to say that nearly everybody feels that way. You’re in a new setting, things could feel very alien and campus may seem so big, but you will become accustomed to it. Everybody is doing their own thing and so are you and that’s one of the cool things about college. Settling in can take time, but you will definitely grow as a person by going through it.

Best of luck to everyone starting college soon. If anyone has any questions in general about college or particularly about UCC hit me up in the comments or send me a message on Instagram and I will do my best to answer it.

Stay beautiful,

Much love,

Laura x