Moving into student accommodation comes with a fair bit of life admin. Rather than seeing this as a hassle, try and view it as something that will be a really beneficial learning experience on your journey into adulthood. We’ve broken down below some of the things you might need to consider sorting out – while they might not all apply to you, it’s best to be prepared!
Register with a doctor & dentist
If you’re not close enough to head back to your hometown for appointments, which many students aren’t, then it’s important that you register with a local GP surgery and dentist. This means you can continue looking after your health, from routine check ups for any ongoing issues to emergency appointments in case of infections or feeling unwell. Your university will likely have a directory of recommended surgeries you can register with, so check it out.
Complete your university enrolment
While a lot of things can be done online before you even set foot in your university city, there might be things you need to do in person or that just aren’t necessary until you arrive. This could be uploading a photo for your student ID, checking in with course leaders, or picking up important materials.
Apply for student discounts
Make sure you take advantage of any discounts that are available to you now that you’re a student. For many discount schemes you need an academic email address or student ID number of some sort, so this is something that often needs to wait until term starts. You don’t want to miss out on saving a few pounds here and there!
Update your address details
While most bills (like your phone bill or bank statement) are now paperless, you might still need to update your address with these providers. Equally, if you often order from online retailers like Amazon, it’s worth updating your preferred address – so if you’re checking out in a hurry, you won’t end up sending parcels to the wrong place… Check if you need to update your address elsewhere, such as with the DVLA if you drive, and with the university itself.
Download relevant phone apps
If your uni has its own app, or there’s a local transport or food delivery app that would be useful to you during your time in your university city, make sure to download these – you never know when you might need them. You could also download any useful study apps while you’re at it: organisational apps, revision-based apps and more. Make a folder on your phone to keep everything uni-related together!
Life admin doesn’t need to take away from the excitement of moving into university. It can be an additional layer of excitement as you get ready to start this amazing new chapter of your academic career, and it really does pay to be organised.
