For the past year I've been taking my little Fiat Punto (Lionel) for a trip down the M27 and M3 every morning to get to university in Winchester. Some days I even took the scenic route through Romsey where I drove past many trees and fields and the occasional cow. What an exciting life I lead. Some people would have you believe that this is 'wrong' and that to get the full student experience you have to be in halls 'living the dream' of having zero money, getting smashed off your face every night and getting off with strangers, waking up covered in every possible fluid, forgetting how they got there in the process. But this isn't the case. I can honestly say that I had a fantastic time being a Fresher without being in Winchester 24/7 and, more importantly, with an extra few pennies in my pocket.
The best thing to do before you even get to university is to find a group on Facebook or create one yourself so you and these other complete strangers can communicate prior to going on the course. In my case I had to make one but it was probably the best decision I made as it's still used now for all sorts of things; general chat, help revising and interesting little stories that pop up. If you manage to join or create one of these it brings you up to a certain level, at least where you can say you recognise someone and maybe know a little bit about them before you go saying anything stupid or ridiculous.
Despite this, when I started university I still felt like I was at a huge disadvantage to everyone else. I'd made the assumption that because they'd been there a whole 10 days more than I had that they would all know each other and I'd be a Billy No Mates on my own in the corner. The problem with assumptions is that they put an instant downer on things, especially if they're as life-altering as university, but I was quickly proven wrong. Nobody knew anyone other than the basic things they'd discovered through a casual bit of Facebook stalking. Sure, they had friends who were in their halls, but in time you'll meet these, at least in passing, and to be honest, it doesn't even matter because you're not the one who needs those people anyway. So the first bit of all important advice I can give you is don't panic, you're not alone.
I would definitely suggest trying to make at least one Freshers event. This was something I couldn't manage due to unforeseen circumstances involving a toilet, but something that I wanted to at least try to make. After all, you only get one first year at uni and you don't want to be known as the one who didn't even make an effort. This is quite difficult to start with because obviously you know no one and you'd feel intrusive asking to sleep on their floor, but these people are no different to you and they want to be your friend as much as you want to be theirs, so in your first few days get talking to people and this problem should be solved easily.
This is where I take the 'real student' head off briefly. You'll find that knowing nobody in the first few weeks does have it's advantages. During lengthy breaks between lectures and seminars don't bother going home, use the free time to keep up with your reading and get ahead of the game. Not only does this have educational advantages it also saves you money. If you're driving in you don't want to make a 50 mile round trip twice in a matter of hours and you definitely don't want to fight with the ever-rising petrol prices because that's a battle you'll certainly lose if you're not careful.
If you've got a part-time job already you should be able to work loose hours around your uni scheduled, so in theory you could still keep your job. I know this sounds obvious but until it starts to interfere with your studies the extra income can really help. It allows you more freedom outside your student loan income, making purchases such as new clothes or games, whatever you like, much more affordable. Just remember that nothing is more important than your studies, the part-time job is not your career, so if it gets too much to handle ditch it. That's what I've done for my second year.
I'm not going to lie, to make friends whilst commuting you need to make a little bit of extra effort, but the benefits are there for all to see. Find some common ground and partake in activities with them. It sounds trivial and mundane but it can go a long way to cementing friendships. For example I would stick around for hours after uni finished to go to the pub to watch football in the evening, only leaving when the last bus to the park and ride comes along, although there's nothing to say that this bus won't ignore you and drive on by as I found out the hard way.
Back to the important thing now, drinking. After a few weeks you should be on good enough terms with at least a few people to crash on their floor without feeling awkward, so go on nights out with them and take advantage of this, after all, there's nothing to say you can't offer them your floor should they fancy a change of scenery and a night out somewhere else. There's no better way of bonding than drunken chunder over someone's shirt or all over the floor. Honestly, this is how 'real students' live. Join them.
Financially speaking, commuting to uni is the best thing ever. And I mean ever. Why would you want to spend upwards of £100 a week over your hard-earned student loan on rent when you can spend £30 a week on petrol or train tickets. If you want to eat that's another stupid amount of cash you won't need to spend, and I haven't even got to the bills and stupid, stupid landlords you'd have to deal with in your second year. Staying at home saves money and what's not to love about that?
I hope that this helps numb some fears commuters may have. It really isn't that difficult because if you get it right you get the best of both worlds. The best advice I can give you is to keep calm and have fun.
