You’ve had the best 3-4 years of your life. It’s flown by and you’re in the run-up to finally finishing your degree. You’ve learned so much (debatable), met people that you’re going to lovingly annoy for life and crammed in as much weird fun as possible (why do we steal traffic cones on nights out?). It’s not over quite yet though, and there’s definitely some stuff you need to pack in before moving out of university and entering ‘adult life’. There should be a healthy balance of raucous antics, and serious tasks undertaken. Sit down, clear your schedule and work through these 10 things you should do before moving out of university.
There are student nights out, and then there are TRASHY student nights out. Every university has its own small subset of particular club nights that everyone knows are just terrible and a little bit disgusting. The music is questionable but the drinks are cheap, everyone is there to reach their own hedonistic level of paralytic drunk. Deep down you love these clubs due to the freshers’ nostalgia they bring, as you no doubt spent many a weeknight throwing shitty shapes on the dancefloor before buying cheesy chips and lying on the pavement in order to make more friends. In order to honour your transition from fresher to experienced and discerning night-outer, you need to gather your pals and hit up that gross nightclub that holds a special place in your heart one last time.
If you’re not that into live sports, this is a rite of passage. You’ve not experienced passion unless you’ve watched a home game at your local stadium. Get a group together and attend head to toe in team kit and colour, this extends to skin, hair, banners and anything else you can be bothered to prepare. If you’re feeling boisterous, scream and cheer the names of the wrong players whilst confidently telling anyone who looks at you oddly that you’ve supported them ‘forever’ and ‘never miss a match’.
Wherever your university is located, the surrounding area will be full of hidden gems and cultural and historical places that it will be known for. Throughout your years at university, you’ve probably made your way through a fair few of them, but if there are any you haven’t yet visited, make it a priority! If you move away from where your university is and you didn’t do all you could to really get to know the city you’ll definitely regret it. Hit up the ‘touristy’ spots too if there are any, you’ll have experienced the area as a local, don’t forget to go to the places visitors come to see.
This one isn’t as fun and there won’t be anywhere near as much banter, but it’s a really important one. Whilst you’ve still got all of your university resources, USE them. Whether or not you’ve nailed down your plans for after graduation, talk to your careers advisor. Ask for advice in any areas you’re considering. Get them to give your CV the once over, and practice your interview technique even if you have no idea what sort of job you are aiming for (snap). Other than that, the university will have tonnes of online guides in pdf format ready to download, make sure you download them while you still have access to the university intranet. In short, make sure you do all the admin tasks you KNOW you should do, but can’t really be bothered.
Whilst you’ve still got the chance, you should definitely join a new society and take up a new hobby. Whether it’s sport based or a more passive pastime don’t be afraid to sign up and try something new and meet some more bizarre people. Is there going to be another time in your adult life when you can easily dip a toe into the world of Ultimate Frisbee without receiving judgement? Nope. You’ve got nothing to lose, and if you enjoy it you’ll be able to continue your new hobby after university too – continuing is easier than starting!
The legendary pub crawl. Depending on the length, this requires serious stamina and commitment. Not to be undertaken half-heartedly, make this a plan and prepare for it. Confirm amongst your friends the list of a dozen or so pubs and bars that will make up your official crawl itinerary for the night then get out there. Each person must consume one drink per pub/bar. It’s a great excuse to head to your favourite haunts and the places you never quite got around to trying! You get bragging rights if you actually complete the entire crawl without forgoing a round or ending up in a bush accidentally as you journey from pub to pub.
You might cook and eat together all the time, but when was the last time you went all out as a group and orchestrated a lavish 3 course dinner party for yourselves? Make a menu, divide the courses amongst yourselves and go big. Make it special and with all the trimmings. Celebrate the time you’ve spent together and the fun you’ve had, raise a toast to the many years of fun ahead of you all. This special home cooked dinner party is also the perfect time for you to hold your Housemates Award Ceremony, whereby you each receive another person’s name in secret (think Secret Santa) and you prepare an award for them that best sums up their antics. Each prepares a speech that does justice to the legitimate honour bestowed upon you. This is more important than your graduation ceremony, get it right.
During your degree, you’ll presumably have stuck to the buildings and study spaces you were timetabled to. There’s a whole world out there on campus (in a manner of speaking) that you’ve never even seen, hiding in plain sight amongst your most frequented lecture theatres. Ever wondered where the geographers have their lectures (in between using their crayons)? What does the chemical engineering section of the library look like? Let your curiosity get the better of you and properly explore your campus fully while you still have a chance. Think of the memories guys. Honestly, there are a lot of things you should do before moving out of university, but at least make some great memories if you can’t do them all.
This one can be as brutal as you make it, and works best when your friendship group is a healthy mix of boys and girls, all with relatively different dress senses – if not you’ll make it work anyway. The game is simple, you each get to COMPLETELY choose another person’s outfit, makeup and all before going on a night out. You pool your wardrobe contents between the group, and there are no restrictions. Get creative, you’re allowed to make clothes from other clothes and are heavily encouraged to look deep into the eyes of your chosen victim and bring forth their worst nightmare. Flared jeans look great on ‘lad-lads’. Proceed to embark on your night out, giving no explanation whatsoever to those who seem concerned.
There is never a better time to do some charity work or give back to the community in some way than whilst you’re still at uni and have the time to spare. The university will have loads of schemes for you to get involved in any time you want, and if you have something specific in mind they have the resources and know-how to help you organise it. Want to organise a charity barn dance? Go for it. Want to organise a naked calendar for charity? Boom, great idea. If you’d rather be put in touch with local charities to offer your services in a specific area in particular, uni can help you to prepare your CV. It’s an excuse to dress up like an oompa-loompa and raise money, why not? There are a lot of things you should do before moving out of university.
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