Fresher Finance: Five tips for making the most of your money at uni

Beginning university for the first time can be challenging. Whether you live with family, or in halls, you will find yourself budgeting throughout your student days. Politics and International Relations student Terrelle Iziren offers advice on how to stay savvy, and give your finance a leg up as a student.

Student Bank Accounts

Many student accounts are created exclusively for university students, and only require photo ID (passport or driving license), as well as a proof of address, and of student status. Don’t be lured in by freebies like Amazon gift cards or Cash rewards – keep your eyes peeled for the account that gives you the largest overdraft with the lowest interest rates. Many university campuses have on-site banks so you won’t have to travel far to sign up. Save the Student has a list of the leading Student Accounts currently available.

James’ ultimate student halls move-in guide

When you arrive at university, seeing your new, empty room for the first time can be daunting. James Williams gives you his tips on filling a whole new, empty space, and knowing exactly what to bring with you when leaving home.

When you arrive at university, seeing your new, empty room for the first time can be daunting. With a whole new space to fill, it can be difficult to know exactly what to bring with you. James Williams gives his tips for moving into your new place.

A blank slate…

A taste of home: what Goldsmiths students brought with them to halls

Moving to another country, or even to another city, can be an exciting (and stressful) experience. Goldsmiths MA student Sofia Wickerhauser interviews fellow Goldsmiths’ students about the things they brought with them from home.

Suzanne Hayes brought something from her home in New York on a friends advice: “She told me to bring a mug from home just so I had something familiar… It’s a mug my mom gave me that says, “the evil sister”, but I also bought myself a mug at Anthropologie for my birthday that looks like subway tiles that I use more than the other. The subway tiles remind me of New York, so it’s become my favourite mug.”

A Day in the Life of… A Popular Music student

Because he took a year out after his A-Levels in 2017, it was a long wait before he finally arrived to study at Goldsmiths. Now that he’s here, BMus Popular Music student James Williams tries not to take it for granted, and to make the most of his time as a Goldsmiths student!

On the popular music course, my day can consist of anything from songwriting workshops and ensemble performance practice, to history lectures and digital composing classes. But first, my morning starts with everyone’s favourite activity: the commute. I was lucky enough to get a room in Surrey House (one of the university’s halls of residence), meaning the walk to campus takes only five minutes. This becomes especially useful when I have a 9am lecture to get to!

The walk to campus from Surrey House, along Lewisham Way

The weird and wonderful world of Goldsmiths’ Societies

Whatever extra-curricular activities you are into, we have it all covered at Goldsmiths. Politics and International Relations student Terrelle Iziren gives you an overview of some of the weird and wonderful societies at Goldsmiths.

The number of societies on campus keeps growing. Students can join as many sports clubs, political, activist and media groups, religious, ethnic and national communities as they choose – have your pick! Goldsmiths own tech society, Hacksmiths, is one of the most popular communities on campus. Specialising in testing the latest technology, you can expect to get creative in many ways – from learning to code, to building new gaming projects, and pushing the boundaries of physical computing. Expect to see lots of wacky and wonderful events hosted by the society, one of the biggest being an annual Hackathon, often supported by big-name sponsors like Spotify.

(Pic: Code Ninja/Unsplash)

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