(Make your claim in the kitchen- it helped me feel more settled)
So this is it. You've got your A-Levels, you got that long awaited acceptance letter and your accommodation is booked. All you have to do is move in. And quite rightfully you're feeling a bit nervous, maybe even scared. You're going to leave the parental nest and share space with complete strangers. Even if you've found each other on Facebook and chatted, you still don't really know them, you don't know if they are dragging a huge sound system with them or are destined to hog the freezer space or point blank refuse to take part in cleaning up. All very reasonable fears. I know how it feels, I was so anxious when I arrived at my flat that I couldn't unlock the door my hands were shaking so badly.
I am currently living in a 5 bedroom flat and had found and talked to 3 of my future flat mates but was moving in an entire week after they had due to a scout camp. I was worried they would have bonded and as the latecomer I would be excluded, I was panicking about not having a cupboard or fridge/freezer space and most of all I was dreading having to say hello. I will put my hands up and say right now, I am not a very social person when it comes to my own age group. I have found I talk to Adults better than my peers (by this i mean adult-adults who wear suits and drink black coffee and have their lives in gear, not 18-20-something year olds who cant find their socks).
My room is the first door after the kitchen so I all but sprinted there, dragging my suitcases behind me. I think I caught a glimpse of one of the girls but I was too busy freaking out to even smile as I hurtled past. It took a while before I ventured into the kitchen to introduce myself. But let me tell you this. They were just as nervous about meeting me as I was about meeting them. Sure they'd settled in before me and had already hosted the first flat party but I really had nothing to fear. So even if your stomach is doing flips and you have lost all power of the English language, chances are your potential flatmates are in the exact same boat...or flat.
And guess what. We're living together come this September too. Only this time we know each other and can live in, relative, harmony. So before you let your nerves get the better of you, just remember that they are more than likely filled with the same worries as you. You're sharing a brand new experience with them, if anyone is going to empathise with your fears about University and all the times to come, it's them.
So I wish you luck and hope you're blessed with someone who takes the bins out unasked.
The Surviving Student x