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The big move to university

Alex Grant

Faculty: Health, Medicine and Social Care
School: School of Allied Health and Social Care
Course: BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science
Category: Allied and public health

4 April 2016

Alex explains what he did once he received his offer to study Paramedic Science at ARU.

So you’ve applied to university, attended the interview day and passed the fitness test and DBS clearance; now reality has finally sunk in and you are moving on to start the course. I remember the moment I opened the congratulatory email and learning that my application to study Paramedic Science was successful. It was a moment that I will never forget, filled with excitement and nerves that was the result of years of dedicated hard work!

Finding student accommodation

On the same day as receiving my offer, I went onto the ARU website and started to research accommodation. I lived in Brighton and one of my parents was about to move to Wales – I didn’t feel like commuting from either place! As I would be studying in Chelmsford, I learnt that there was a Student Village on campus, which really interested me. At my interview day I met a girl whose application was also successful. We stayed in contact after our interview day and we ended up applying to stay in the same flat! It’s opportunities like this that make ARU standout from other universities. I felt more at ease knowing that I would be moving into a three bed flat, having met at least one of my flatmates already.

What to bring to university?

At this stage, my accommodation was sorted and there were only a few days left until I was due to move in. This is the point where you really need to think about what you need to take with you and if it’s necessary or not! The way I prepared for the big move involved making four lists of things I needed to buy/take with me: Bedroom, Kitchen, Bathroom and Studying. The ‘Bedroom’ list included things like bedding, as well as electronics such as my PS4 console, TV and laptop. With regards to studying, I held back on buying any academic books until I started the course because ARU give every student a £400 Books Plus card, every year! This will allow you to spend up to £400 in a bookstore that has iPads, laptops, and all your books you need to study your course. You can also use the money to pay for gym and sports club membership, which is exactly what I did!

Finding friends in Fresher's Week

Saying goodbye to home wasn’t as bad as I first thought. Everyone here at ARU was very friendly when I moved in, because they are all in the same situation as you! We have a solid 2 and a half weeks of pure socialising, making new friends, and there is officially 2 weeks of Fresher’s. Fresher’s is a time where there are loads of organised socialising events both during the day and at night. On campus we had a bouncy castle with a candyfloss machine, BBQ and in the evening the Student Lounge also hosted themed events. By the time I started the course I had met nearly every single person on campus! However, don’t feel left out if you are living at home during your study time, it is very common to do this and there are great travel connections for Chelmsford and the rest of Essex!


I hope these past three blog posts (this, Applying to university and the Paramedic Science degree and Paramedic Science interview day) have informed you about the process of applying to university to eventually starting the course. Hopefully my next blog post will be telling you all about the start of my frontline ambulance placement! I am based out of Camden station with the London Ambulance Service, responding to 999 calls in Central London. Until next time, I wish you the best of luck with your application and look forward to seeing you in the next cohort!




Want to know more? You can find out more about preparing for university in our Student Life section.

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The views expressed here are those of the individual and do not necessarily represent the views of Anglia Ruskin University. If you've got any concerns please contact us.