Going to university is a great experience. From moving in to halls and leaving home for the first time to meeting loads of new friends you just click with. It's a time of your life you'll never want to forget.

But before you arrive it pays to be prepared. So we've racked our brains and put together a list of the tips we wish we'd had before heading off to uni.

1. Fools Rush In

Congratulations – you’re going to university! Now the real fun begins. First thing’s first though – you have to find somewhere to live before you can start planning wild parties. When choosing a place, many factors come into play: will it be far away, is it comfy and nice, and can I afford to live there without selling my left kidney?

Not to mention the potential flatmate debate – if you’re not used to living with other people, will it be intimidating or will it be fun? The answer to these questions and more is simply this: think about it.

Only you know what the right place for you looks like, so make sure you take as much time as you need to think over all of your options. Don’t rush into somewhere you might not love down the line, and make sure to check all your finances beforehand.

HudLets can help you find a place and even check your contract for you, saving you a fair bit of hassle. Make sure to call in and see us in the office (in the Students' Union) if you can, or take a look at our website for loads of helpful information!

2. Invasion of the George Foreman’s

So the first bit after arriving in your new halls is great – you’re independent and striking out on your own (or so you think), and you simply MUST have all the kitchen items ever conceived by humanity in order to properly feed yourself in the next stage of your life.

Once the unpacking starts however, you’ll soon realise that every single one of your flatmates brought a toasty maker and a George Foreman grill and you’ll find yourselves with eight cheese graters on your hands.

Nobody needs that many items for the kitchen and your new flat will end up looking like the ‘cookery’ section in Sainsbury’s – guaranteed. Maybe wait until you arrive to get that essential melon baller or the can’t-live-without-it vegetable spiraliser. Your cupboard space – and your wallet - will thank you for it.

3. Freshers’ Flu Strikes Again

You might think it’s a myth, like an old ghost story told around a camp fire. But the moment you arrive, be warned – Freshers’ Flu is coming for you. Make sure to stock your room with all the essentials you may need when you get this dreaded cold, and try and bribe a flatmate into looking after you when the inevitable happens.

The lucky few that manage to escape it will wander the campus like the last survivors in a zombie apocalypse – but don’t worry, it’ll soon pass and you’ll be as good as new before you know it.

Just make sure you develop a taste for chicken soup before you get struck down.

4. Take ALL the Free Things!

It’s a well-known fact that being a student is usually synonymous with bargain bins and beans on toast, watered down drinks and (usually atrocious) DIY. When you’re a student, meals don’t appear on your plate free-of-charge any more and nobody pays your bills but you.

So when you get to uni and there’s a hoard of people handing out flyers, posters, and free things, never, EVER, pass it up. That flyer could help you get a half price meal, two-for-one drinks, or something just as glamorous like a free bottle of washing up liquid from your local supermarket.

Whatever it is, it’s better to take it and leave it lying around for a year unused, than not take it and wish you had it when you have eight piles of dirty dishes on the kitchen counter.

So take that branded frisbee, take that student calendar, and take that pack of cards. Display your thrifty freshers’ finds with pride.

5. Personalise – but don’t vandalise

Let’s face it – every fresher since the dawn of time has arrived at uni with bags full of precious photographs and a fair few posters to hang up, only to find that sticking them up will probably lose them their deposit.

Luckily, there are plenty of other ways to decorate your room without getting Blu-Tack marks on your shiny new walls – try using Command strips to hang things up, and bringing a corkboard with you for all of your photos.

A plant or two will make the place look homely without damaging anything (except maybe the plant itself), and you can never go amiss with a few extra cushions and some fairy lights.

This way, when the end of the year finally rolls around, your lovely deposit money goes straight back into your pocket. Whether it’s wise saving or wild spending – what you do with it then is up to you!

So there you have it, our five top tips for moving to University. Now it’s time to pack up the car and hit the road – good luck!

And remember, to get a full range of the accommodation available in Huddersfield, check out HudLets.