University Life: TOTUM's Top 5 Tips For First Year Students

With September just a few short weeks away (Where has the year gone? It’ll be Christmas soon!), this can only mean one thing… a new university term.

For students going into their first year, this represents a really exciting time, of course, as any new chapter always does - the start of a new era!

However, as exciting as it most certainly is to be leaving home for the first time and taking that first tentative step into near-adulthood, it can also be incredibly daunting and a little overwhelming… so be kind to yourself and be accepting of any and all feelings that you’re experiencing right now.

They’re all equally valid - and remember that everyone will be in the same boat, as well!

To help you get a handle on lots of changes that seemingly happen all at once, here are a few top tips from the TOTUM team. We’d love to hear what works for you and how you’re faring, so drop us a line to let us know!

1. Explore your new city

If you’re feeling lost and unsure of yourself, one of the best ways to gain confidence quickly is to explore your new surroundings and really get a feel for your new city.

With six weeks or so to go until term starts, why not get the jump on this early and pop off for a weekend (perhaps with your parents or a group of friends) so you can have a good look around and you won’t need to worry about finding yourself in very unfamiliar territory when the time does come to move out.

If this sounds like a good idea, why not take full advantage of some (or all!) of the student travel discounts that we’ve currently got on offer?

You can enjoy ten per cent off Advance train travel with CrossCountry, ten per cent off UK train tickets as a new customer with TrainPal (or save two per cent on every booking if you’re a returning customer), an impressive 23 per cent off your first UK railcard with TrainPal, up to 25 per cent off with National Express and many, many more amazing deals.

2. Stay in touch

Once the whirlwind of uni life and socialising starts, it can be difficult to escape the carousel. There’s always something going on! Before you know it, it’s been weeks since you spoke to your parents or your old friends… and this can quickly take its toll if you’re not careful.

Make a mental note to give your family a call at least once a week so you can stay connected with that side of your life - and you can use all our great student tech deals to help you do just that, cutting costs and keeping in contact in one fell swoop.

We’ve got an unlimited 24-month SIM deal from £22 per month with Three, savings of £316 on selected tariffs at O2 when you get the iPhone 16e, ten per cent off the Pixel 9a at the Google Store, a £40 Amazon voucher when purchasing a monthly handset contract with the Carphone Warehouse… the list goes on and on!

3. Find a therapist

Being honest with yourself and how you’re feeling during your first year at university (and, of course, the rest of your journey through higher education) is essential if you’re to make sure that you’re as resilient as possible… and if you feel as though you’re struggling for whatever reason, remember that you don’t have to go it alone and there’s no stigma attached to asking for help.

Therapy and counselling can make a huge difference to your quality of life, giving you coping mechanisms to deal with anything that comes your way - and it couldn’t be easier to find yourself a therapist than through our partnership with betterhelp, with 50 per cent off your first month of therapy with credentialed professionals.

With this deal, you can access personalised counselling online at any time and anywhere via chat, phone or video, helping you to support your mental and emotional health and wellbeing over the next three years.

4. Get involved!

Once you’ve settled in a little bit and have found your feet, now’s the time to start being a bit brave and embrace all aspects of uni life, not just academia. There are so many clubs, societies and teams at university that you’re incredibly spoiled for choice so sign up for as many or as few as you like to see what sticks and what you enjoy the most.

If it’s sports teams you’re interested in, you’ll be pleased to hear that we’ve got an absolute plethora of student sportswear discounts on offer at the moment, including: 20 per cent off Foot Asylum, 15 per cent off Puma, ten per cent off full price items at New Balance and 15 per cent off online orders at Adidas… among many, many others.

5. Look after yourself

Self-care is essential no matter what you’re doing, but particularly so when you’re navigating significant life changes. Make sure you eat well, following a healthy and well-balanced diet, that you get between seven and nine hours sleep a night (as consistently as you can) and that you’re getting regular exercise.

Diet-wise, we’ve got you covered with 40 per cent off your first recipe box with Green Chef, 55 per cent off your first box with Hello Fresh, ten per cent off at Vit Hit and 25 per cent off your first four boxes with Mindful Chef.

For good sleep, you can enjoy 15 per cent off Silentnight bedding and mattresses when you spend £300, 20 per cent off Nap loungewear and 15 per cent off all vitamins and supplements at HUX… just what you need to catch those all-important Zzzzzzs.

So there you have it!

Of course, these are only a teeny-tiny number of the incredible array of student discounts we have on offer, so make sure you keep popping back to the TOTUM site to see what’s currently trending and how we can help make the transition to uni life as easy as it can possibly be.