If you are about to head off to university in London, you are probably feeling excited yet a little daunted. And that’s understandable. If you are moving away from home for the first time, there are many things that you need to get your head around – from doing your own washing to budgeting. And then there’s starting a new course, meeting new people and getting to know a new neighbourhood.

London is a fantastic city that can provide you with just about anything (legal) that you want, and as long as you are (a little) sensible and get your priorities right, there’s no reason why you can’t get a great degree whilst having the time of your life.

With this in mind, here is your guide to being a student in London…

1. Make your home
It’s true when they say that there’s no place like home. London is a big city, but it is actually more like a lot of smaller towns joined together. If you have a choice over where you are going to live, do your research into the different neighbourhoods. Once you have moved in, try to get out into the community, visiting smaller, independent shops and supporting the local people. Very quickly, London will feel less like a massive metropolis and more like a village.

2. Enjoy what London has to offer
Although your main reason for being in London is to study, make sure that you try to take advantage of where you are. Some of the world’s best theatre is on your doorstep in the West End, for example. So why not take a trip to a London musical? During the summer you could enjoy the numerous London parks that are dotted around the city, attend sports games, or visit one of London’s numerous museums (many of which are free to get in). Everyone needs some downtime, and let’s face it, you’re in one of the best places in the world for downtime!

3. Budgeting
Even if you are working part-time, budgeting is likely to be an important factor in ensuring that you have a successful time at university – especially in London where everything is expensive! Try to separate out money for rent, bills and socialising and stick within these limits.

Some ideas of how to limit your spending include:

• Taking money out in cash to help to be able to see how much money you have left
• Doing your food shopping at the end of the day to get reduced priced items
• Trying to reduce your energy use at home – don’t have the heating on full blast, all day, for example
• Cooking with your housemates instead of everyone separately
• Getting a student railcard and looking for other money-saving student offers- such as a student Oyster (and walking as much as you can – which also is cheaper than going to the gym)
• Borrow books from the library or get an e-book instead of buying the paper version
• Shop in charity shops – London has some great ones!
• Always ask shops if they do student discounts – many of them won’t make it obvious but it can save you pounds.

4. Studies
You don’t want to waste your years of study and although the lure of London can be very tempting, you do need to make sure that your studies are a priority. It is good to try to establish a routine as quickly as you can (after freshers’ week) – both with your studies and with a job.

There is always something going on in London, so if you have an assignment to do, get it done as soon as you can and then you can go out afterwards – this is much less stressful than going out now and leaving your assignment to the last minute.

When you start university remember that everyone is in the same boat and wants to make friends. Just like at any other time in your life, you are not necessarily going to become best buddies with the first people that appear in front of you. And that’s fine! It can sometimes take a while to find your real friends, so if it feels like it’s taking time, try to be patient, it will happen.

There is no doubt that heading off to university in London is going to bring massive changes to your life – especially if you’ve never lived in a big city before. And whilst you might be a little nervous about the big move, it is a great opportunity to spend most of the day studying something that really interests you, make new friends and create memories that will stay with you forever.