Skills every Fresher should learn before university

Lifestyle Editor Charlie Nadin offers some skills that are essential to learn for any Freshers looking to survive the first year of uni.

It is inevitable that you will be given dozens of ‘top tips’ for surviving university, some great, and some less so. But what are the truly essential skills? Who am I to tell you? Well, I can say that I’ve done first year at the very least. These are the three skills that I think everyone should have before moving to uni.

Cooking

Slightly contentious, as you can get catered accommodation in first year. However, generally speaking, you will have to cater for yourself come second year. Further, you will save so much money if you know how to cook, which is crucial when considering just how much you’ll spend on nights out alone. Plus, in my case, it incentivised me not to buy takeaway or go out for food so much, which is in all likelihood a little healthier, and it was a productive use of my time.

Time management

No, this doesn’t extend just as far as getting work in by the deadline. It can really help manage stress levels if you know where you’re going to be, and what you’re going to be doing during the day. Set aside a period for study, food and leisure. This will hopefully prevent any all-nighters trying to finish that one essay you got a month ago and reduces any guilt for spending time on yourself instead of work.

Tidying and cleaning

Under this umbrella comes washing up the dishes, doing laundry, hoovering and so on. It’s not necessarily a skill that needs to be learned all that much, and you can get by in near squalor if you must, but trust me – you will be a lot more popular if you can tidy up after yourself. If you want to keep your friends, please adhere to the washing-up rota. It’s for your own good!

And with that, I impart my wisdom. I humbly ask that you heed my advice, and I hope that it serves you well.