Dear girls: You need to read these 43 pieces of honest advice before you start uni

Freshers Week is fast approaching and soon everyone you know from your parents, to older cousins to the annoying neighbour next door will be offering you classic uni advice. Make sure to take photos from home, learn to budget and bring a doorstop to make friends in the first week. All good advice but there’s certain things your family or online forums won’t tell you about you uni which is essential to know before you even step foot in your mouldy new room. Yes there will be probably be mould. Get used it.

We’ve compiled the essential list of Freshers advice that girls in particular need to know. The welcome to uni manuals won’t tell you to avoid third year boys like the plague or to never wear heels on a night out. And so it is our job to do so.

From societies, to fancy dress, to pesto pasta, these are the 43 essential pieces of advice girls need to read before you start uni in September:

1. Take any random fancy dress pieces you have lying around – they will come in handy.

2. Leave the baking stuff at home, you’re not gonna become Mary Berry over night.

3. Get a mattress protector.

4. Don’t bring any expensive alcohol from home it’s such a waste.

5. Bring slippers, the floors are grim.

6. Third year guys are not older and wiser gentlemen, they’re sleeping with you because you’re a Fresher.

7. You’re going to ignore that and sleep with them anyway. But do not suggest getting coffee with them the morning after.

8. You will not meet you future husband the first week of uni.

9. You’ll probably never meet him at uni.

10. You will sleep with some guys you’ll regret.

11. You’re gonna have sex without a condom – so go to the clinic and get tested.

12. Yes seriously every time you sleep with someone new.

13. Never wear heels on a night out. Ever.

14. Never wear trainers you care about on a night out, in fact just have a dedicated pair of going out trainers.

15. Don’t take cute bags on nights out, get a standard cross body bag so you can actually dance.

16. People usually don’t wear dresses on nights out, stick to jeans or trousers with a nice top.

17. But take one nice dress for end of term balls.

18. Leave a pint of water out by your bed before a night out for when you get back.

19. There’s no point buying the Freshers club wrist bands  – they’re basically fake, you’ll waste money and you’ll probably end up doing something different anyway.

20. Use the coupons and vouchers from Freshers Week, there is zero point saving them.

21. No one cares what you wear to lectures.

22. No one knows what they’re actually talking about in seminars – it’s just waffle.

23. Don’t join a bunch of expensive societies.

24. You will not go to the majority of the stuff but can easily spend £300 in Freshers Week.

25. Don’t leave your essay to the night before.

26. Citation is not easy and you will still not understand it after three years.

27. But don’t worry there are plenty of online citation devices.

28. Don’t shag your housemate. Seriously – it’s not worth it.

29. Learn to cook something other than pesto pasta.

30. Don’t expect to meet your new best mate on day one.

31. You meet people all the time at uni so don’t close yourself off once you’ve got a group of mates.

32. Hang out with more people than just those in your flat.

33. You will meet people at the weirdest places.

34. Accept you will probably gain weight from all the booze and late night food.

35. Don’t go home too much.

36. Putting flour on sick makes it easier to clean up.

37. Have a cleaning rota.

38. Don’t compare your Freshers to your mates from school, nothing looks as good as it does on Insta.

39. It’s ok if you don’t get on with the rest of your flat.

40. But don’t spend all your time in your room.

41. Cover your drink on a night out to avoid spiking.

42. Don’t leave your pans to soak you won’t end up cleaning them for three days.

43. At some point you will get a UTI – just accept it.

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