GUEST POST | Is university for you?

Don't know what you want to do? Don't worry you're not alone. Going to university is exciting time and also a time where it seems like every has it figured out. You're left with the question what am I doing?  Here are something things to remember when going to university and haven't no idea what you're going to major in.

Some people are not ready

It may seem like everyone got there stuff together but in reality were all freaking out a little. No one wants to go to school and go to class everyday it's like high school all over again. But it's like high school people still don't know who they are and their trying to figure out.

Not knowing what you're going to do with the rest of your life is okay.

Lots of people say you need to have a plan. You have to know what you're going to do. Actually it okay to start with the basic classes first and maybe take time to find something you're interested in too. You have your whole life ahead of you why rush into something your not going to like in a year.

Step back

Step back and think about what you like. Think what courses did I take that I liked. Start from there and think about is it something I see myself doing? Will I be happy?

Keep theses in mind and take your time with what you want to do. There's no point in throwing yourself into classes that you will hate in a couple years. Go for a major that makes you happy and you can see yourself doing forever.

Ten Weird University Societies | Lifestyle

I think societies are an awesome way to make friends at university who have similar interests to yourself, of course you have your friends who you know from your accommodation then probably some in your lectures but it's good to have friends who you have a lot in common with also. After reading up on this I thought I would share with you ten weird societies followed accompanied by some rather strange GIFs.

1. The Caramel Wafer Appreciation Society:
I guess they just really like caramel wafers and want to share their love of that with others!

2. The Hummus Society:
This kind of reminds me of Will off the Inbetweeners like everytime I hear of anyone liking hummus, I can't say I would join a society due to my love of hummus.

3. The Kettle Society:
Sharing their love of teas made in different types of kettles, not one for me as I hate tea.

4. The Curry Love Society:
This makes a little bit more sense, although I am not a fan of curry in the slightest.

5. The Cheesy Pop Society:
NOW we are talkin' I need this society at my university, talking love of anything N sync and Backstreet Boys sounds like my kinda thing.

6. Stitch and Bitch Society:
I understand the stitching but the two don't seem to go together well in my opinion? Stitching just seems peaceful and well mainly for the older generation?

7. Hide and Seek Society:
Okay so this is way cool, and I am not even joking. I would happily meet up with people and play hide and seek, who says this game is just for kids on rainy days.

8. The Twenty Minute Society:
A society where you have twenty minutes to get a location which is texted to you and they do something fun at that location.

9. The Fetish Society:
Basically what it says on the tin, a society where people meet to discuss their love of weird fetishes and why they enjoy them... *hides*

10. The Pancake Society:
My favourite on the list has to be this one, I love pancakes and would happily join a society to talk about them and eat them.

How To Have The Perfect Movie Night | Tips

As a student a lot of time is spent drinking when you hang out with your friends, which of course is one of the best parts of being a student as no one can really even question it. But what about when you fancy a night off the alcohol and want to hang out with your friends? The answer, a movie night. It's a cheap alternative to a night out and an easy laid back way to hang out with your friends, even better make it a themed movie night even make it a monthly thing, e.g. Mexican movie night have your friends bring over Mexican food and make a night of it, you get my drift.

If it was me I think I'd host a onesie movie night, get everyone to come round in their onesies (check out Amazon for the cutest ones, such as Pikachu and Stitch). As far as films are concerned it's important to have a pretty open choice for films, like comedy as then everyone is happy as when it is genre's such as action or horror there is always going to be someone who is unhappy so it's best to stick to a pretty open choice and IMDb are perfect for a huge choice of films along with reviews, if you are looking for a comedy film feel free to click here for their huge list of choices. Snacks of course are next, who doesn't need snacks when watching films; now where this concerned you can either do one of two things, go to your local supermarket and stock up on a huge amount of sweets, crisps and frozen pizzas or order from Domino's, the choice is simple really but I know which one I'd rather do *wink wink*.

Now when it comes to watching the film, a big TV is kind of needed so if you don't have one of these that's your night ruined (just kidding) there's always alternatives just work with what you have. Finally sound, there is no point in watching an amazing film with rubbish sound it ruins the film in my opinion. I would totally invest in some kind of awesome speaker which you can find yourself here for movie sound without the effort of going out, plus they're awesome for games too! The final step of hosting the perfect movie night is inviting along your friends (or if you fancy doing it alone, that's cool too) and you're good to go.

*Contains sponsored links

Why You Should Shop Around For Your Bills | Lifestyle

The TV is constantly packed full of adverts of how you can save money on this that and the other, but when it comes to it there's usually some kind of small print of how you actually don't save money and you actually get tricked into paying more. I love websites which compare the cheapest prices and although it may be more effort I think it's well worth doing for the fact that in the end you end up paying less... way less. I am talking from experience when I say, that certain places claim they want to help students but actually end up making it worse for them. Recently me and my friends signed up to a website which helps you divide the bills between yourself and your fellow housemates in one monthly sum where it go to the company and they personally sort out your bills and pay them for you, sounds perfect right? I thought so too, until it turns out they were charging us nearly £250 a month more than what we actually needed to pay!

Our landlord spoke to us about how we were paying our bills and we told him the run down and he turned around to tell us at least 2 of the things we were being quoted waaaaay more than what we should actually pay. For example our water was being caped at £21 a month between us all, we were being charged 10 each which is a huge difference. When it came to the amounts added up we were paying around £69 each a month for something that actually should come around £25 which is a huge increase. We managed to get out of our contract as they told us a different price for their fee also which was supposed to be 99p each a month and it turned out to be around £7 each which is totally not cool. When we looked into our bills the second time around we searched a lot of sites as well as different compare sites for each of the bills to find out the best deals for what we wanted, although we didn't get a meerkat toy as a different comparison site offered some better deals *sad face* but I am glad we managed to get out of the situation or we would of all been in a hell of a lot more debt than what we needed to be.

When it comes to moving into your own house as a student with your friends, I urge you to take the time to look around for the best deals and don't trust the sites which claim to be helping you out, because of course in the short term its easier but in the long term it leaves you in a sticky situation.

How To Deal With Long Distance Relationships | Tips

Going to university can often mean moving to a new town/city, making new friends and possibly even meeting a romantic interest which is perfect if of course you're single. If you meet that person at university, or you have that person waiting back for you at home it can include large periods of separation making you in a long distance relationship and dependant on how far apart it is, it can often mean weeks or even months without seeing that person which obviously sucks. I think it's important to remember how much you care for that person and despite not being in a room with them everyday it doesn't mean that you don't love it each other, it just means for a while you can't be together all of the time.

I thought today I would compile a list of tips for you lovelies, to help with long distance relationships and how to make them work and after all what doesn't kill you (or break you up in this sense) will make you stronger right?

Communication is key:
This may seem fairly obvious but to some people it actually isn't, I think it's important to make a time in your day everyday to speak to that person, whether it be a text, a call or something else like Skype or Facetime, I had a friend at college who had a girlfriend in Ireland and they used a free app to call each other which they found helpful. Of course as you're at university, the chances are it won't be for too long so you can plan your return dates and plan things to do when you're back.

Surprise Visits:
Who doesn't love surprises? I think it's an awesome idea to go visit your other half whether it be for a day or a week, it'll mean the world to them and give you a chance to spend a bit of time together which of course is a win on both parties.

Skype Dates:
So this is going to sound totally random and to some people a no go, but if you're a fan of skype or some other platform online which involves a webcam this one is for you. Set an hour or two a week where you can hang out together, although you may not be in the same room, you can still see each other and even watch the same thing or eat the same thing. It's a bit of fun, and a new way to date!

Remember it's not forever!
Like I said at the start of this post, it's important to remember the distance isn't forever and if you make it through the distance, when you're together it'll be way more worth it and it'll make you stronger than ever, and if you can survive being apart for so long you'll definitely be okay when you're back together!

Balancing Student Life & Study.

Everyone knows one of the reasons people go to University is for the social life, and if they say they aren't then they're lying. You see everywhere all about the fun things you can do whilst at university from the drinking, to the fun nights out, to the meeting new people. You do it whilst at uni, it's just the way it goes. But of course when you go to university, you go to study also and you pay a lot of money to do so. I know a lot of people in first year who struggled with fun life of university and the academic side, as fun as going out may be if you have a 9am lecture and you stay out til 4am that isn't going to be a bundle of laughs. Having fun at uni is a key part the university experience as you're finally old enough to drink legally, you can go into clubs and enjoy the clubbing scene as well meeting new people including potential partners which what some people are looking for where as for others it's just about having a good time.

My advice when it comes to having a good time as well as keeping up with study is first off, do enjoy yourself of course but plan the times around your lectures so you don't miss too many. Although first year doesn't count towards your third year grade completely, in some ways it does because you need to pass first year to make it on to second year and so on. When it comes to clubbing and drinking I am awful at it anyways as I either drink too much and end up either being sick or passing out or I get anxious and have to leave the club which is a bit rubbish. I know it's easier said than done, as noone wants to be the 'boring' one, but you know your body and lack of sleep is never good. But I have been where you are, and you need to live it up and have the university experience as well as having a good time.

The guide to drinking games | Lifestyle

If there's one thing all university students are good at, it's drinking games. There are so many different games out there, often they change name from uni to uni but they tend to have the same rules, I love the different games that people play as it's a lot more fun than just drinking on your own. Most games just involve a simple pack of cards which is definitely worth having in your flat, so if you don't have any, go invest! I thought today I would share with you some drinking games which are always worth playing with your friends!

Cards Against Humanity: 
I actually found out about this game when I was round my families house at Christmas and played with my Grandma who had no idea what the game entailed. I love the idea behind the game despite it being so messed up! To those of you who don't know, the game involves having 7 cards and then everyone takes it in turns to be the card tsar and reads out a statement or a question and then you have to pick out of your cards which you think fits best. Now the fun part, half of the cards don't even make sense, they include a lot of rude and offensive statements and if you're easily offended it's probably not the game for you, but it's a lot of fun and worth an investment.

Never Have I Ever: 
This one is a great game for getting to know people better, and it's as simple as going round in a circle and someone asks a question starting with 'never have I ever...' and names something, and if you have done that thing you drink. It's an easy and none effort required way to get drunk, and fast.

Ring Of Fire:
This game involves a bit more explaining but it basically involves a deck of cards and a pint glass and it ends with the person who gets the last king in the pack drinking the 'dirty pint' which is made up of drinks placed in the pint glass throughout the game. As there are many different card meanings I thought I would leave this link here to tell you what each card means and how to play.

Ride The Bus:
Another more complicated came to explain with another set of rules but well worth learning them as it's a hilarious game which involves you being very drunk if you're unlucky in this game! The basics of this game are that it involves four rounds and you are asked a series of questions based on the cards e.g. higher or lower and if you're wrong you drink. But if you want to play this game, and need instructions on how to do so check out this awesome page.

The Perks Of Having A Student Card | Tips & Tricks

So everyone has a student card if they're at university, some people choose to wear it around their neck and others keep it in their bag, the point being everyone has one. Although they are used at university for things such as printer credits and proving who you are they're also awesome outside of the uni, and today I thought I would share with you the awesome things you can do with a student card which are totally nothing to do with university at all.

1. Get free food at McDonalds  
This had to be first on the list of course, who doesn't want free Mcdonalds? When you buy a meal you can get a free item such as fries, a mcflurry and a cheese burger. I'm not complanin' at that.

2. Online Discounts
UNiDAYS is a perfect example, you sign up with your university number through the portal and then you can use a variety of amazing discounts on clothes and other awesome stuff. My favourite is the year of Spotify premium for £5.99 a month and also when clothing stores have 25% off *kerching!*

3. In Store Discounts
When you're out shopping, it's a great thing to know that in most shops you get some kind of discount or perk with your card whether that be a free item again or 10% discount, it's still amazing. I am forever using mine in New Look and Topshop.

4. Cheaper/free entry into clubs
I guess this depends on place and the day but most clubs offer a discount with a student card, I know in my town it's free before a certain time with the card which is a bonus and if you want to go after the time I know that some clubs offer a discount with a card which is always handy.

Thoughts You Have When On The Phone To UCAS/Student Finance | Life

I hope you're all doing well today, this post has been inspired by the fact I spent a lot of time on the phone to UCAS and also my university over the last few days (zzzz) and I thought I would turn it into a bit of a giggle for you lovely lot who have probably also been on the phone to them at some point during your time at university, as much I LOVE talking to them and spending money/minutes whilst doing so, I do have better things to be doing with my time.

1. What on earth is that music?
I understand that all hold music dire but when you're on hold for years (minutes) it would be awesome if the music didn't make the holding time that music worse, why not some chart music or something a bit more upbeat?

2. Why 20 questions? 
Okay so I get that it is security why there are so many questions, who in their right mind would want to get into my UCAS or Student Finance? And if they do could they possibly help me pay off some of my student loans, it just seems pointless to me!

3. STOP PUTTING ME ON HOLD 
So I get that they don't know the answer to your every question, but do they know anything whatsoever, it's literally like I am putting you on hold for second I hope you don't mind, and you're on hold before you've had a chance to reply, so I guess you can't mind.

4. Why does everyone tell you something different? 
You'll ring up, ask a question and go with that, then ring up again to check something and they'll tell you've done it wrong and send you to do something different etc. Why does noone seem to tell me the right thing to do? It's such a nightmare.