Five Lancaster Uni moments that make you feel like a grown up

Coming to university quickly forces you to realise that you are now an adult. The parents leave and you are left in your room thinking about what you are going to do for dinner and how you are going to wash your clothes. No longer can you depend on your mum to make dentist appointments, you now have to phone them yourselves. You are left to your own devices and this dawning of adulthood only increases throughout the duration of your degree.

But since going to university is all about figuring out quite literally how to fend for yourself, below are moments every student can relate to which make you feel like you have it all figured out. Kind of.

Planning Meals for an Aldi shop

After running out of freezer meals and tins of soup supplied by your parents during Fresher’s week, you’re faced with the dreaded weekly Aldi shop. Whether you are a meal planner or simply turn up to browse the shelves, you are faced with reality of adulthood. You find yourself planning how many Greggs sausage rolls you can afford and making sure you consume at least one fruit or vegetable per week. Cooking for yourself and making sure you don’t get food poisoning is a wake-up call when you get to uni.

Using Tupperware

Never did I think that I would use so much Tupperware when I came to uni. Even without batch cooking you end up having food that needs to be put in the fridge and then empty boxes that just hang about the sink for months as all Tupperware looks the same. Just having ready-made food in boxes ready to be shoved into the microwave can make you feel like an adult, giving you the illusion that you’re organised.

Separating colours for laundry

Another adult moment we all face is Circuit laundry. Specifically, separating colours and realising how much effort laundry actually takes. To do a wash and then use the tumble dryer means you have to set aside a couple of hours in the day. Not to mention keeping an eye on the drier to make sure no one turfs all your clothes out when the laundrette gets busy. Working out when the best time is to use the laundrette and saving money by drying your clothes on an airer was one of the moments that I realised I was a proper adult.

Bringing shopping bags to a food shop

This point is also linked to the beloved Aldi shop. With campus being so far from a supermarket you quickly learn how essential it is to take bags with you that are comfortable to heave to the bus stop, especially when you go on a busy day and end up standing with your bag on the bus. My favourites are reusable fabric bags and my advice is to not do your shopping in the mornings during the week when everyone is rushing to get to campus for the day.

Visiting houses to rent

The biggest moment of realisation that you are actually now an independent adult when coming to uni is when you’re faced with finding accommodation for your second year. I don’t think anyone is truly prepared for the housing haste in 1st term. To be thinking about deposits, signing contracts, and who you are going to live with next year confronts you with the reality that you are now an adult who does adult things.

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• Roses and the reading room: Moments that alter a Lancaster Uni student’s brain chemistry