Being a freshman in a new place is never easy, but when you have some advice to help guide you along, it can make a world of a difference. Here are 20 things I wish I knew as a freshman at Ulster University in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Whether or not you\u2019re Christian, the CU is the best way to meet some of the nicest people at the university. And there\u2019s almost always free food.<\/p>\n
CASS is the arts group on campus and one of the most welcoming, next to the CU. They have everything from drama and dance to music and comedy, with the potential of radio and television coming soon. So get involved and don\u2019t be afraid to make suggestions and talk to the committee.<\/p>\n
This is crucial at every college, but at Ulster we\u2019re especially lucky because most of the professors are completely down to chat and talk about life, as well as school. So let yourself become friends with them. They\u2019ll become invaluable resources in later life.<\/p>\n
These cards are great, getting you up to one third off your fares in Northern Ireland on buses and trains, and cross-border into Ireland. They\u2019ll save you a lot of money in the long run.<\/p>\n
Kelly\u2019s in the only nearby club, located in Portrush. It\u2019s a generic club, with some token oddball things, like an ice cream truck that occasionally serves as a DJ stand. But it\u2019s packed almost every week. So be prepared for that.<\/p>\n
Some of the pubs in Portstewart host karaoke nights every so often, and they\u2019re so much fun.<\/p>\n
Morelli\u2019s is a Portstewart institution, and is the oldest ice cream shop in Ireland. It\u2019s done up like an old-style ice cream parlour with modern twists, and looks over the gorgeous bay at Portstewart. It\u2019s super yummy too.<\/p>\n
Stews and soups are great because you can cook them in big batches, and then freeze individual portions, giving yourself food for weeks. I always do this at the start of the year, cooking up something every night for the first week or two, and freezing the rest. Yes, it takes up a lot of space, but it\u2019ll save you a lot of money; especially if you take advantage of the discount sections at Tesco.<\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s weather is notorious for being all over the place, and Coleraine embodies that. You\u2019ll need everything from snow and rain gear, to shorts and tees to deal with the changes. It\u2019ll go from summer to winter over the course of a day too, so be prepared.<\/p>\n
There are some really amazing little caf\u00e9s around Ulster with great food if you just look past the Starbucks. Coleraine has some great little hidden gems, but you\u2019ll see them packed with the locals. And everywhere will have a great soup to warm you up on the cold winter days.<\/p>\n
Ryanair is notorious for being a cheap airline. The planes are fully functional, but the flights are just cheap. It\u2019s great. Take every opportunity to explore every inch of Europe you can get to. And if you have the time to go Interrailing across the continent, do it. It\u2019s something you won\u2019t ever forget or regret.<\/p>\n
The professors at Ulster are pretty cool about office hours. So talk to your mentor about anything you need. Whether it\u2019s advice on where to take that cute girl out to later, or trying to deal with not understanding what you\u2019re supposed to be studying. Talk to them. They really want you to, and you\u2019ll both appreciate it and get a lot from it.<\/p>\n
Ah, my favorite haunts. I get everything in these, from new clothes, to costume stuff, to props for plays, to presents for friends and family. They are really good shops that usually get a lot of donations in. It\u2019s great.<\/p>\n
Moka is located on \u201cthe bridge\u201d at Ulster, which is the main, giant corridor after you walk up the stairs of the main entrance. The Streat is straight down the end of that hall. Both are great for a pick me up. I prefer the Streat, because I usually get food while I get coffee, and the Streat has much better food options. Or, if you want to go even cheaper, and are okay with pretty mediocre coffee, head on down to the Student\u2019s Union, or the SU. It\u2019s a little slow, but the food is good, and it\u2019s a nice place to park yourself and work or study.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t forget to try to do the same if you live off campus. Whether you\u2019re living on campus or off, you\u2019re almost certainly going to be surrounded by students. So take note of it. And don\u2019t be afraid to say hi.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll make life so much easier. This is a given. You can get by without them, but your grades will skyrocket if you do them. So it\u2019s your choice, but I\u2019d recommend it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d recommend looking into ISEP programmes. I\u2019m currently on my year out, studying at Eckerd College, and I\u2019ve had this planned for a long while. The ISEP process is long and arduous, but if you find people who did it last year and talk to them, your professors, and the ISEP coordinators at Ulster, you\u2019ll fly right through it.<\/p>\n
The gym at Ulster is a little pricey, but if you can get yourself to go, it\u2019s nice. It\u2019s a small gym, but it has pretty much everything you might need (except a punching bag). It\u2019s good to have the membership, and you\u2019ll thank yourself if you manage to work to avoid the freshman fifteen.<\/p>\n
Wetherspoons, or Spoons, is a chain around the U.K., but they have great deals every day of the week. For example, \u00a35 curry, or \u00a35 steak, along with really cheap pitchers of cocktails.<\/p>\n
Find the people and places you like and love them forever.<\/p>\n
Being a freshman in a new place is never easy, but when you have some advice to help guide you along, it can make a world of a difference. Here are 20 things I wish I knew as a freshman at Ulster University in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. 1. Join the Christian Union. Whether or not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19136,"featured_media":116168,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1807,1798,8010,1793],"tags":[7929,8391,8392,8393,8066,8201,8165],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-52139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-life","category-freshers","category-school","category-uni-life","tag-campus","tag-freshman","tag-freshman-at-ulster","tag-freshman-tips","tag-tips","tag-ulster","tag-university-of-ulster"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n