So for this post I'm going to try something a little different and combine an OOTD with a few things I've recently told younger family members about starting university. I've broken it into sections detailing what I believe to be the factors that set you up for a great university experience. Hope you enjoy :).
LIVING - accommodation is probably the most important factor in your first year of university; it’s where you’ll make most of your close friends and potential flatmates, but it also introduces you to people outside of your course and other aspects of the university’s social life. I chose to move into halls, even though I already lived in London, to get the full experience. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone by choosing to share a room which was a massive gamble. Sharing wasn't necessarily bad, but my room-mate was the polar opposite of me and we kept quite separate, however it was an something I'm glad I did.
STUDYING - Many people say take first year easy because it doesn't count as much but, I say hit those books hard. A solid first year grade helps you gain a good foothold for your whole degree. I didn't do particularly well in my second year, but because of my first year grade I can still do well overall, as long as I don’t mess up my final year.
FRESHER’S WEEK - it’s tempting to join every society that appeals to you, but I would advise that you find a few that you know you’ll commit to and it’ll pay off over the three years. It’s also important to be honest and be yourself, a lot of people see university as a fresh start, and it is, people are more mature and understanding, but some people take it too far and try to reinvent themselves completely and it unfortunately backfires almost all of the time. If you enjoy clubbing and going out, this is the perfect week for you. Pace yourself, you don’t want to wake up in the common room of your halls, remembering nothing of the night before, feeling and looking terrible, whilst all of your peers walk past to go to breakfast (this may or may not have happened to me haha).
CLUBBING - be adventurous, explore the different scenes in your area and find the one you love. I've enjoyed going to the regular student nights that almost every social person at my university goes to, but I've enjoyed spontaneous nights out to new places, or venturing a bit further outside of the central student area. Finding places where you can be totally free and chill and not worry about bumping into an annoying course-mate.
CAMPUS STYLE - different universities have different personalities. Going to a university in the city, it's difficult to pull off a ‘just got out of bed look’ without being judged on the commute to class. There are a few brands that definitely cater to student style including Topman, Urban Outfitters, River Island and American Apparel. My favourite brand is Lazy Oaf (both my jumper and backpack are from their store on Carnaby Street), the comical and satirical slogans always sum up how I feel about sitting through 4 hours of lectures (Tireless Life and So Broke are two of my favourites).
This look is pretty block colour heavy with my blue Topman hat (jeans also from Topman), and contrasting orange Adidas SuperColors.
My style advice for university is to wear something that you're comfortable in wearing, both in terms of confidence and literal comfort. The time you're at university is a great period to experiment and play around with fashion, before you get into the dull world of work.
Peace and Blessings,
Andre
*I still haven’t figured out what to do with my long-ass arms when I'm taking pictures haha.
