Things I wish someone had told me when I went to uni for the first time...

First post....better make it a good'un!

Moving away from home for the first time is scary business and there are things I have learnt that I wish I knew when I first set off on my big adventure to become independent and "grown up".

1. It's OK to feel homesick and/or not enjoy it. From the beginning of your teenage years, uni is built up to be this magical land of no rules, total freedom, alcohol, sex and fun... And all of this is true, however there is so much pressure to go to uni and you're told all the time about how much you're going to enjoy it that if, when you go to uni, you feel homesick, or you don't enjoy your course, you can feel completely alone. It seems like everyone else around you is having the time of their life and you're the odd one out. I can tell you now that you aren't. A lot of your flat/halls/course-mates will feel the same, but they're putting on a face around a bunch of strangers that they don't yet fully know. If your feeling homesick, let someone know. Most unis have a student support person or point of contact in your department and these are amazing people who want to help you. They know where to point you in any situation and are good people if you need an unjudgey person to just be a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on, they'll even go for a coffee on campus if you don't want to be sat in an office (because that can feel weird sometimes!). If you don't like your course, speak up... Once you're at uni, it is relatively straight forwards to change course to something you prefer. This leads on to my next point...
2. Most problems can be fixed if you speak up. Whilst it may feel like the end of the world to you, most problems can be solved quickly once you speak up, but if you don't let someone know what's going on, no one can help and you will feel like shit for longer. There are systems in place to fix the majority of problems you'll encounter at uni. You won't be the first person who's decided that they'd prefer to be doing engineering to chemistry, or history over English, and you certainly won't be the last. Again, utilise the people who are there to support and help you because that's what they're there for. 
3. It's ok if you think uni isn't for you. You can leave, intercalculate, whatever feels best for you. Not everyone that goes to uni feels it suits them or their method of learning and that's entirely ok. Just let someone know and you'll be able to be on the next bus home. Just make sure the reason you're leaving isn't something that's able to be fixed first, and give it a good stint...after about a month, you'll have a feeling towards whether uni is for you or not.
4. Don't buy every book on your reading list as soon as you get it. Most of the books, especially on science courses, you'll use once and then they'll never see the light of day again. Uni libraries have lots of copies of the books for your course and you can normally get them out for a longer loan than a public library which means you'll be able to assess how much you'll use them and then decide whether it's worth the £40 or not. Speak to older students and find out if they used the books, you can normally get second hand ones quite cheap from students who are graduating as they want to get rid of all their old stuff.
5. Make the most of your first year. For most courses, you'll never have a year where you have so little pressure again. Ok, first year counts for some places and courses, and I'm not saying completely flunk the year, I'm just saying don't forget to enjoy yourself, explore your new home. For a lot of courses, first year is used to get everyone up to the same level, which means revisiting a-level stuff and therefore you might not need to do as much extra reading and that time can be used for exploring the area. Go on trips to local cities or towns, go to local attractions and museums because they're often free ways to spend time you'd otherwise be festering in bed for.
6. Don't sign for a house until January. From the minute you arrive at uni, you'll be pressured by local housing companies to sign for a house for your second year. My advice is wait. You'll get told that all the good ones are going fast and there'll be no houses left, don't worry...this isn't true and there are enough houses for everyone. The best bit of advice my old warden told me on my first day at uni and it was "look around at the people you're sat with now. The chances are that in 6 weeks time, you'll be sat with an entirely different group and you won't be talking to the friends your with today." This rang true for me because I was the night before signing a contract for a house and I decided that I didn't actually like one of the people I was moving in with and I knew I'd clash with her and fall out with her and just generally feel like shit. I stayed put for another year and it genuinely was the best year I've had at uni.
7. Don't give every society and sports team your number. Unless you want to spend the year being bombarded with texts about socials you couldn't care less about, think carefully about what teams you want to join. You won't have the time for 10 teams and societies, so don't even try!
8. Most importantly, enjoy yourself. You're only at uni once, so make the most of it. Grasp every opportunity that is thrown your way with both hands and don't be afraid to say yes to something completely new. This is a place where you can experiment and be who you are. It's a clean slate. No one knows about that time you called the teacher mum in year 9, or that you threw up in physics in year 11, so be who you want to be!