Halls Hacks

Already forgotten your hall mates’ names? Enduring a major hangover after a purple-filled night out at Pop!? Ran out of change for the washing machine? Not to fear, here are some top tips and uni skills you won’t acquire in your 9am lectures…

Flatmates

Photo:Flickr/Chloe Muro

• Use sticky notes to put your kitchen’s names and phone numbers on the fridge in the kitchen. Get people to write their names on their doors too – it makes remembering names much easier!
• Creating a Whatsapp group for your flatmates is the best way to keep in contact – it halves the hassle when organising group meals or outings.
• In halls, sharing is caring. In places like Rootes and Cryfield, you’ll be sharing bathrooms… Make sure you bring flip-flops to slip on during your trips to the toilet – you don’t want to know what might be on that floor!

Your Bedroom 

Photo:Flickr/University of Exeter

• Unfortunately, your room at Warwick isn’t going to look like something from a Laura Ashley brochure when you arrive. Think more flatpack IKEA. Get some wall stickers to really personalise your room and make it a bit more colourful! They’re cheap, easy to put up and take down and there’s no fuss with blue tac.
• Store a secret stash of 20p’s, 50p’s and £1s in your room. They’ll come in handy when you’re in need of change for the washing machine. When it’s 2am and you’re out of clean underwear, the last thing you want to be doing is begging your flatmates for their change.
• Invest in a strong padlock. If you’re in Arthur Vick or Jack Martin you won’t be able to leave your things in your room during the holidays – bring a padlock so you can lock some of your stuff in the cupboard above your wardrobe. Otherwise make some friends in halls with 39-week lets and persuade them to let you leave things at theirs!

The Kitchen

Photo:Flickr/David Young

• Want to avoid long queues for the microwave? When you heat leftovers in the microwave make an empty circle in the middle of the food to make it heat quicker.
• Reheat your ‘Two for Tuesdays’ Domino’s pizza in the microwave with a small glass of water. This will stop your crusts from getting soft and chewy.
• Who wants to clean the fridge? Not me! To avoid arguments with your flatmates, wrap the shelves in cling film and when they’re dirty just rip it off and chuck it out.
• Everybody dreads the weekly campus to Tesco trek. To minimise the pain of carrying hundreds of bags full of beer, baked beans and pot noodles, use a climbing carabiner on your shopping trips to keep all your plastic bags together and make your experience a bit more comfortable!
• Impromptu pre-drinks before Kasbah on a Monday or Smack on a Tuesday? Stick your phone speakers in a glass to amplify the music.
• Forgot to put your beer in the fridge for pre-drinks? Wrap a wet paper towel around your warm beers and put them in the freezer for 15 minutes. You’ll have some chilled beverages in no time. For those classier kids in Bluebell who pre-drink with wine – keep some frozen grapes in your freezer to chill white wine without watering it down.
• One key tip – don’t put your iPod on shuffle when you’re pre-drinking with your new flat mates. There’s something in everyone’s music collection that they aren’t proud of. Just play it cool before you get to know them; you don’t want a song from Kidz Bop 1998 to unexpectedly start playing. Make a playlist of normal tunes so your odd taste stays between you and your headphones.
• If the clothes you were planning on wearing out are unbelievably creased, use yours or a flat mate’s hair straighteners to iron out the creases. This is quick and easy, especially as the ironing board they provide you with in halls will probably be the most dilapidated and useless piece of equipment you’ve ever seen.

Hangovers and Awkward Post-Pop! Situations

Photo:Flickr/Marc Ehrich

• Whether you’ve got a severe case of ‘Freshers’ flu’ or you’ve been loud and rowdy at circle on a Wednesday night, it’s likely you’ll lose your voice or have a painful throat at some point whilst you’re in halls. Forget Berocca, keep a bag of marshmallows in the top drawer of your desk to snack on, they are a miracle cure for sore throats!
• Have you just sent an awkward text to your fling from Pop! last night and instantly regret it? Turn your phone on airplane mode, it will fail to send. and you can swiftly delete the evidence. You’re more than welcome.
• To make sure you don’t miss your alarm and snooze through your 9am lecture after a big night out, put your phone in a glass the night before to crank up the sound of your alarm.
• If you forgot to put your phone on charge and only have ten min- utes before you have to run to a lecture, put your phone on airplane mode and it will charge twice as fast.

One last-but-not-least (slightly clichéd) halls hack… Whether you’re in Rootes, Sherbourne or Benefactors – be yourself! It’s the best and simplest way to settle in to halls and make friends quickly to help you solve those ‘FML’ moments. Enjoy!