It is Welcome Week once more. You’ve been there, done that. You had your time as a newcomer, been out seven nights in a week and spent all your money allowance for the semester. It is time you take this week seriously.
Get a Job: This might be the year that you stop being broke. Whether it is it in a café, as a bartender, babysitting or at Edinburgh University Students’ Association take the chance to control your own finances and stop depending on your parents every time you want to hit the club.
Make a new friend: You are probably thinking, ‘I already have friends’. But there are always those newcomers, either freshers or exchange students that might have something else to offer you.
Visit the Activities Fair: It’s never too late to find a hobby or society you enjoy. This Thursday, all day long, sign up for those societies on your bucket list. Go on, learn some Tango! Take your first, tentative steps towards becoming a champion archer. Even join the mailing list to write for the oldest student newspaper in the UK…
Look at courses for this semester: You are not a newcomer anymore; it is time you take your degree seriously. Spend some time going through courses and make pick yours if you haven’t already.
Explore the UK: the University has events for freshers that can be attended by other students. Take a trip to St. Andrews and learn to play golf.
Get a Careers Service Appointment: You get those encouraging emails inviting you to make an appointment with an advisor. You keep sending them to the Junk folder and not dare to look at them. The time has come when you become a responsible person and think about your future.
Learn how to cook: and by this I mean really cook. Take a class, buy some cooking books, or try asking a friend. Eating good but homemade food is life-changing and even though you might be too lazy first, it is very rewarding.
Volunteer: sign up for some volunteering, even if it is only for two hours a week. There is nothing like giving without expecting anything back.
Have fun: this is an easy one. Make sure you don’t forget that in the end, you are still a student and deserve some fun.
Image: Pedro Ribeiro Simões via Flickr.
