Thinking of going to university? Watch out for the scurvy. . .

University student James Ashford begins his blog on leaving Shropshire for the steel city and all of the issues surround student life today:

Welcome to my blog. Depending on your reading speed, these are going to be the most enjoyable three to seven minutes of your life. I'm a student at the University of Sheffield, but I was born and raised in Shrewsbury and I'm going to be writing about student experiences, issues and lifestyle from the point of view of someone who should know best – a student.

One of the biggest challenges a student faces is trying to keep life relatively in order. Those that have been doing this for years, or those that are yet to try it out, should not underestimate the difficulty of the task for a new starter.

Suddenly being lumped with the responsibility of survival for oneself, as well as a new degree, new friends, new everything, can be quite daunting.

If you've applied to university, no doubt you will have seen university pamphlets which tell you 'it's okay to be nervous'. Nervous? People get nervous about spiders. People get nervous about the results of X Factor. When looking after yourself, there are real things to be nervous about. If you don't know that pink, while a lovely colour, is not the colour that chicken should be, then you will die a slow and painful death.

Of course, it's not really as bad as I'm making out. So long as you haven't lead a completely sheltered life, the cooking basics that you have gathered already should ensure you don't starve to death. You might get scurvy though. Consider the symptoms: lethargy, formation of spots, pale look, partial immobility. Some of my dearest friends seem already to be horribly afflicted.

I found that meeting new people was the best thing about starting uni, though I was hit with an overwhelming urge to try and trick people into believing that I was someone else. There are large amounts of people walking around Sheffield believing that I am 'Pierre', a charming Frenchman with a disappointing grasp of English.

Freshers week is an excellent breeding ground for friendships. It is a time when all inhibitions are lost. You remember to unpack all your clothes and saucepans, but your morals stay buried inside your suitcase for a week, stuffed under the bed. From coveting thy neighbour's halls of residence to stealing someone's pizza, you're bound to stumble at some ethical obstacle. Though it was a ridiculously fun week, I did have to sacrifice the function of most of my internal organs. I couldn't hack it now.

Going to uni was a great decision. If you're thinking of doing it this year, I'd say give it a go. It only costs around three billion pounds a term now, so you'd better get in quick before they hike the prices up even more.