// Archives

Surviving Winter in a Cold Student House

As a university student, a cold house is pretty much a given. Last week, the central heating system in my house broke down… again. In desperate times like this, my housemates and I had to get creative in order to survive. Here are some hacks that we picked up during our many cold trying times. …

What I wish I knew about leaving home for the first time

Having spent the last 18 years of my life in the same city, I was undoubtedly excited to move to Nottingham to pursue my dream degree. As an international student, 4500 miles away from home, I couldn’t wait for the changes that this move would bring. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dubai. It’s a …

What I Wish I Knew Before I Started House Hunting

As I sat in the library typing this blog post, I couldn’t help but overhear a group of first-year students discussing their housing plans. I felt a sudden sense of nostalgia as I thought back to two years ago when I made the most adult decision of my life so far — I (together with …

5 Top Tips for Train Travel

Once Upon a Time I was a very naive student who thought that taking the train would be a simple task, you get on at one stop and then off at the other – but I turned out to be very wrong. Taking the train is an art form, a craft that I have developed through …

Remember the important things

There’s one thing that we’re victim to at this time of year. It’s hiding under the bed, it’s looming above the mirror, and it lurks around every corner: beware the cunning complacency. It’s not surprising really; after a whole hectic term of hard work, especially come the final few days, every student feels spent (in …

“Home” for the holidays

Christmas break has arrived! It’s the first holiday for first years; a time when every fresher has to grapple with one simple (or, not so simple) word: home. Many students say they’re going ‘home for the holidays’, meaning that they’ll be returning to their parents’ or family’s house. Yet confusion then arises in what to …

Our House

As 2015 comes to a close I’m sure many of you out there are thinking about where you are going to live next year, some of you might have even been on a few house viewings. My memory of house viewings was of them being awkward, sort of reminiscent of going to the zoo. Wandering …

When the ordinary feels extraordinary

I disapprove of the fact I didn’t finish exams until Friday afternoon, but was back in lectures by Monday (I’m sure many of you feel the same!). I therefore wanted to pack in as many ‘normal person not revising’ things as possible in the intervening weekend through having a trip home. Here’s a selection of …

Student life’s greatest hits (autumn 2014)

New to the blog? You’ve come to the right place, as we introduce the team’s best posts to look at student life here at The University of Nottingham. Following in the the grand Greatest Hits tradition of Queen, Fleetwood Mac and Vanilla Ice (apparently), we present each blogger’s best posts… so far. Read on! Gemma 5 things …

5 things that would never happen at home

Pity me. It’s been a stressful few weeks. Coursework deadlines, job interviews (to anyone who read my blog last week, I got the Student Ambassador job! Back of the net) and my fave, cleaning out the fridge. And then, just when I was at breaking point, it hit me. I hadn’t had a roast dinner …