The ultimate university survival guide (The Virgin University Survival Guide - Karla Fitzhugh)

Member Name: Luvlylana

Product:	The Virgin University Survival Guide - Karla Fitzhugh
Date:	16/01/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap and jam-packed full of useful hints and tips

Disadvantages: They don't do books for the other years in uni

As a gap-year student, I've been waiting a fair few months now to begin my degree course this September. Most of my friends that were planning on going to university have now pretty much completed their first year, but for those of us that were left behind, there are a number of questions and concerns that we wanted answered to put our minds at ease.

Now these questions aren't always the kind of thing you want to ask your friends, for example - what should I do if I get homesick? Should I indulge in one night stands? What should I do if presented with drugs?
For anyone who wants to know the answers to those kind of questions, but doesn't want to ask their friends, I would highly recommend this book. I ordered it online via play.com for £5.99 (RRP is £7.99), and I believe it is currently available via playtrade from £2.74 - a complete bargain even if you weren't going to pick it up ever again, I'm sure you'd agree!

The chapters are as follows:
- Getting Ready
- Freshers' Week
- Your Course
- Hedonism
- Housing
- Money
- Work And Careers
- Health And Stress
- Crime And Safety
- Graduation And Beyond
- Appendix: The Basics
- Contacts
CHAPTER 1: GETTING READY
This chapter urges you to ensure you have appropriate accomodation, and all the bare essentials such as kitchen equipment, bed linen, paperwork, etc. It suggests that you should think about getting your money together as you're going to have to fork out for food, entertainment, bills and all the other things that come with living on your own. It suggests cookery books to help you live on more than the traditional beans on toast, and makes you think about doing university for you rather than for your family, friends or boyfriend. There is also a very handy list of items you ought to pack to get you started.

CHAPTER 2: FRESHERS' WEEK
This chapter starts by saying the first thing you should do is sort out your bed - if you're going to be out all night you're going to want to have a bed to come home to rather than having to do it all when you get back. It states that you should invest in an NUS membership to get yourself discount in different stores and online, and suggests you get to know where your health centre is incase you come down with severe "freshers' flu". It encourages you to join clubs and societies, and reminds you that you are starting afresh here, so you don't have to be the loud one, the shy one, the joker - it's up to you how you want to be perceived now. At the end of the chapter it reminds you that if you are homesick, your friends and family are just at the other end of a phoneline, and if things really are getting too much, there are specially designed university councellors to help you through it.
CHAPTER 3: YOUR COURSE
This chapter starts off by telling you the things you ought to be provided with, including a course guide, timetable, a study area, books, equipment, and other resources. It explains the basic course structure for any subject, and the heirarchy of lectures (just as you would have classroom assistant, teacher, deputy and head at school). It also covers attendance and exams, stating that there's no point hauling yourself to the other end of the country if you don't plan on doing any work. It's a waste of time and money, and someone else could have been given your place who really did want to work hard to achieve a degree. It explains the best ways to research, and books that can help you with the critical thinking element of essays and assignments.

CHAPTER 4: HEDONISM
This chapter covers all areas of fun and entertainment, from going out to staying in, and festivals to shopping. It also covers the dangers of alcohol, recreational drugs and sex - but not in a prudish way. It gives the impression that it is against it, but the author understands that as an individual it is up to you to make the decision, and make sure you are ready to accept the consequences of your actions. It also features a comprehensive guide to the street names and "qualities" of drugs - by qualities I mean their appearance, their affect and how people tend to take them. This means you are prepared for them if they are mentioned in conversation or if you spot them in your accomodation. It also points out that merely allowing people to take drugs in your accomodation can get you a conviction, which can ruin your chances of employment, and/or get you kicked off your course.
CHAPTER 5: HOUSING
This chapter explains all your housing options, and helps you weigh up the pros and cons of each different type to help you decide which is best for you. It tells you to look out for things such as parking and bike storage, distance to amenities, surrounding neighbourhood, security, damage, infestation, safety certification and telephone/internet access. It outline the bills you will need to pay, how to deal with your landlord, and what you are entitled to as a tennant.

CHAPTER 6: MONEY
Again this covers important aspects such as your student loan, budgeting, part-time work and repaying it all at the end. It suggests looking into grants and breaks different sectors down in a way that helps you to think of ways to cut-down costs, such as buying things on offer, buying in bulk with housemates and customising old clothes to create new ones.
CHAPTER 7: WORK AND CAREERS
This chapter covers part-time work, holiday work, work experience, tax and job-hunting at the end of your degree. It suggests ways to improve your CV via volunteering and part-time work, and helps you with interview tips. I thought this chapter would be particularly helpful for students in second and third years as it helps them with applying for jobs after uni as well.

CHAPTER 8: HEALTH AND STRESS
This chapter covers when it is and isn't acceptable to dial 999, what the symptoms of meningitis and scepticaemia - common dangerous illnesses that affect students at university. It also explains where to get help if you are feeling depressed and anxious and lists coping strategies. Having been diagnosed with both in the past I had a lot of respect for this chapter for the help and advice it detailed. It also explains the major eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and how to identify if someone is self-harming. It lists a number of contacts that I feel would be indespensible should any of the ailments affect an individual regardless of whether they are at university or not.
CHAPTER 9: CRIME AND SAFETY
This chapter details the procedures to follow in the event of burglaries, mugging, rape and other offences. It also lists prevention measures to stop these things happening in the first place. Again it lists a number of useful contacts in the event of any of these things occuring.

CHAPTER 10: GRADUATION AND BEYOND
This chapter tells you what options you have when you leave university, such as starting your career, taking a gap year/travelling,and post-graduate study. It also explains what to expect from the grand ceremony, and suggests you keep in touch with your friends not only for future leisure and relationships, but also career-networking too.
APPENDIX: THE BASICS
This little section gives you information about basic household stuff that we should all know, but more often than not we don't. It includes electrical know-how, computer care, car basics, bike basics, first-aid, laundry, general cleaning and food safety.

CONTACTS
A large section consisting of several helpful contacts mentioned in the book, and a few others added in as well.
The only reason I haven't rated the book 5 stars is because as I haven't even started the first year of university yet, I can't yet tell you how useful I found the information about actually being on your course and living in student accomodation. However I can say that the getting ready, housing, money, basics and health sections have all proved to be a very insightful read, and I will keep all the information in mind. I have already packed the majority of my necessary belongings, and will make sure that this book is always within reach in my new room, as it will be handy in so many different situations.

I would also recommend this book to parents of young people about to embark on university life, as it contains the sort of information you want to make sure they know, but may have trouble talking to them about through embarrassment or general stubbornness on your children's behalf!

So all in all, this is a very worthwhile read and is highly recommended.

(As written for Ciao.co.uk)

Summary: Fantastic guide to living away and getting into uni life