For some of us going away to university is an adventure we’re more than ready for, and though you’re not a celebrity (yet) as the case may be, you nevertheless want to scream ‘get me out of here!’. On the other hand, it can be quite a daunting experience and homesickness is totally normal. For me the best thing you can do, aside from throwing yourself into uni life and making the most of every opportunity; is to make your room like a home away from home. No matter what accommodation you’re staying in, I promise you now your room will become your little nest, so why not make it a cosy one?
Within the first few weeks of your new-found life here on campus, there are plenty of opportunities to bag yourself a few bargains which will help you put your own stamp on your room. You can make your first sober trip to Venue, the on-campus nightclub, and have a look through the poster sale. It’s always packed with posters in all shapes and sizes and with so many to choose from, you could cover every inch of your room if you so desired. I bought two within the first week for a small fee of seven pounds; student finance could just about stretch that far!
Secondly, a house plant sale will take place outside Essentials, the shop on campus, which sells – you guessed it, all your essentials! Once again you get a great selection of plants to make your room a cute, homely space. However, the responsibility of keeping yourself alive might be enough for some of you and the poster sale is a safer bet.
You can also hop on the uni bus at one of the various bus stops around campus and ride into town and check out the student favourite: Primark. They have a great homeware section where I highly recommend you get yourself one of their super soft blankets because, let’s be honest, a good blanket can solve nearly all of life’s problems, and the big bonus is that they’re transferable from home, to library, to lecture!
As an overall rule, a cosy space that makes you feel at home is always going to be a joy to come back to and it is a great bonding experience with flatmates as you can compare and help each other out. Not only that, but I found you become proud of what you have created as it’s like having your first little place of your own, and no matter how hard you try not to, you will become attached to that little room where you grew into an adult.
Good luck and get decorating