The big move and what it changed..

When you're in your final year of a-levels and you're thinking about university, you think about the parties, meeting new people and exploring somewhere new.. All of these things happen and don't get me wrong, are incredible, however it's once all of the excitement dies down that you come to realise exactly what moving away at such a young age entails..

Home comforts
There's nothing better than sitting down on your sofa with a cup of tea, a packet of biccies and terrible TV..The harsh reality is, at uni, in your first year in halls there's usually a half comfortable sofa, you'll have to find something to watch online because nobody wants to fork out for a TV license and you'll be crunching away on Tesco value biscuits.. As if you didn't miss your sofa enough, next is the bed situation. I went from the comfiest bed ever with limitless blankets, pillows and throws to a single bed with a mattress which strongly resembles a cereal box..
The. Food. Situation. You'll never realise how much you take your home cooking for granted until you move away and have to fend for yourself... HOW ARE THE CUPBOARDS ALWAYS FULL AT HOME?! Even if your cupboards at uni are full.. Can you really be bothered to cook? My answer is normally no. Packet pasta and veg you can put in the microwave are the answers to your prayers. Going from someone cooking you a Sunday dinner every week to finding something that half heartedly resembles meat and two veg is a transition that never gets easier. The annoying habits your parents have and your siblings that seem to have qualifications in annoying you will turn out to be the things you miss the absolute most.

Your friends
Your friends. Ahhh the nights out and the following day binging on junk food to cure your hangover are now only saved for the times you can afford to get the train home. Nothing will prepare you for how much you will miss the random road trips, spontaneous nights out and emotional heart to hearts in your pyjamas after not leaving the bed for the day. The shared wardrobe will become a thing of the past and you'll all have to start buying your own clothes as well as the make up which filled the shared make up bag/box/draw... Spontaneous dinner dates, nights out and cosy Sundays will transform into pre-planned military timed events which you must cherish because they are less and less frequent.
They say that the friends you meet at uni are the friends you have for life. I couldn't agree more, I've been so lucky to live with 5 amazing girls who have helped me through the biggest change of my life! There's nothing better than coming home to people who can make any bad day seem better, happy people make a happy home and that is what we have!

The move away from home can be particularly hard when you're in a relationship, granted it's tough but there's no better feeling than seeing someone that you've looked forward to seeing and spending time together!

Your home town
"Ughhh I hate living here I can't wait to leave' those famous last words... Every one says it at some point, and those of your friends who don't go to Uni will carry on saying it.. Until they leave, once you depart from your long hated home town, after the novelty of being somewhere new wears thin, you will miss your grotty little home town like nothing else.. The gross bars that you've been to 95397429 times, the shops that never have anything in, the people you once despised - maybe once you've been away and had to do a little bit of growing up, it doesn't seem so bad after all.

The Independence
Despite it being more than scary, moving away allows you to develop your independence. Cooking for yourself, cleaning up after yourself, washing your own clothes and organising yourself so that you survive each week - all of this means that hopefully, when you leave uni, you're able to fend for yourself in the big wide world.

A Big Change

As everybody around me is finishing their first year of Uni, excited to progress to their next, I am in the process of swapping my course. Coming to the end of my first year doing an education degree, it suddenly struck me, this is NOT what I want to do. So I got in contact with the Marketing Management programme leader and arranged a meeting to discuss transferring onto a course which fascinates me and that I feel really passionate about.

Telling the family would be a biggy, so I eased myself into that one by telling my sister, who as it happens has a part time job in social media marketing. Next was my Mum, who I thought was going to go absolutely ballistic but instead told me to do what makes me happy and she could tell I was excited about it, massive weight off my shoulders. I still haven't brought myself to tell my Dad yet as he is so excited that I could one day become a primary school teacher. Sorry Dad... 

I go to Uni in York, which is the most beautiful place, its historic buildings and quaint little shops and cafes never fail to entice me into hours of exploring and always finding something new. York is the perfect place to bring family and friends for days of shopping, amazing food and some of the best cocktails you'll ever taste. 

   

Home away from York is just outside Lincoln, which is equally as beautiful I realise after being away from it. Another home is Hayton, a tiny little village where my Dad resides with my two sisters and lovely step mum! The best of  both worlds would definitely describe my home life!