3 Things to remember if you’ve Moved Away for University
If you’ve moved away from home for university, chances are you’ll be making the most of your new found freedom. You’ve made it past the awkward introductions with your new flatmates and unpacked all your belongings – who knew you had so much stuff? Finally there’s no one to nag you about tidying your room, staying out too late or drinking too much.
This also means there’s no Hotel of Mum and Dad to look after you when you’re not feeling too good either. While you’re getting signed up for your course and sorting everything for the year ahead, it’s also a good idea to sign up for your university’s health services too.
First you’ll want to register with the university health service or if there isn’t one, the nearest GP. It’s no good trying to wait until your next trip home to pop to the doctors’, which might not be an option. You’re better off doing this sooner rather than later, no one wants to be faffing with paperwork when freshers’ flu strikes.
Once you’re registered with your new GP, it’s also a good idea to find out where your nearest chemist is. Usually there’ll be a couple nearby or in the town centre that you’ll be able to rely on for prescriptions and anything over the counter.
After you’ve found the local GP and the chemist, it’s useful to find out where you can access sexual health services too. Regular sexual health check-ups are essential as some of the most common STIs often have no symptoms in the majority of people. Your student advice centre will usually have some information about local services and any provided by the university.
Your new home might also be covered by freetest.me. If you’re too busy in between lectures to pop to the clinic, you can order a free chlamydia test kit, complete it at home and post it back to us. We’ll send you the results however you choose and put you in touch with the right people to help should your results come back positive.