Five things you need to know before you start University.

Hey, Class of 2018! You're off to University in less than a month and you feel so scared, so excited, and so oblivious to what's ahead of you. That's exactly how I felt this time last year. So here are five things I didn't know last year that would have eased my anxiety and let me know what to expect as I embarked upon my degree. Happy Studenting!

1. University is not a party. Before I went to University it seemed like it was nothing more than a three-year piss-up, and I was pretty nervous that it just wasn't for me. But, in my experience, the people who waste their University years being drunk and stupid are actually judged by their peers in a sea of eye-rolls and lectured by their, well, lecturers, for shooting themselves in the foot. If you want to know 'where it's at' when you're at University, get down to the library. Screw the nightclub, you're about to learn the value of a silent room and endless shelves of reading material.

2. Preparation is key. No you don't have to do that set reading because, lets be honest, you're a grown up and you can make your own choices. But in my experience, if you haven't had time to do the preparatory reading for the lecture/seminar, it's a waste of time even going; the few things you do manage to grasp are so few and far between that instead of learning a whole, rounded fact, you learn 'pub knowledge' and realise down the line that you know a hell of a lot less than you thought you did. Prepare yourself by spreading your workload evenly and make sure you do everything that is required of you to make the most of your Uni years. There's no point even going to University if you're not going to come out of it with some shit-hot grades!

3. University is not secondary school. It's okay to be whoever you want to be at Uni, and you'd be hard-pushed to find somebody who has enough time to mock you for it. What's more, the pretty, ditzy types are side-eyed while the people who can offer decent conversation (and seem like a solid reliable choice for future group projects!) are favoured by their peers. Sure, it's basically snobbery just coming from the new direction, but you have worked so hard to be here and maintain your grades, why shouldn't you take a moment to revel in finally being valued for your mind? Oh, and on the school note, please don't call your lecturers 'sir' or ask them if you can go to the toilet in the middle of a lecture. Awkward.

4. It really sucks, but University has to be number one. And however old you are, there are things you'd much rather be doing. For me personally, I have two children and a husband and sometimes it breaks my heart when I have to lock myself away and ignore them for a couple of days (especially when I'm actively telling them to go away and leave me alone) because I've got a deadline creeping up or just a particularly hefty load of reading to do that week. But what I keep telling them, and more often myself, is that it is only three years out of your entire life. Things are hard now so that they can be easier later.

5. Finally, keep a dialogue going with your personal tutor. At the beginning of the year you will be assigned a lecturer from your department who will be your personal tutor (or a similarly-named point of contact) and he or she will follow your University journey closely to ensure things are going along as they should. It's really important that you talk to your personal tutor about any life changes or reasons for any long-term absences. Your PT will call you in for a meeting if there are any issues (such as poor grades or low attendance) so the best thing you can do is keep them in the loop on everything. They're not there to be scary, they're not school headmasters, their job is to get you through University with First Class Honours.