Students say the biggest challenges of starting university often happen outside the lecture theatre.
Grace Williamson, who has just completed her first year in Edinburgh, found learning to live with other people one of the biggest adjustments. Joining societies and going to Freshers' Week helped her settle in, but she says the times she was on her own were the most intimidating.
Before she left home, her mother, the Bristol chef Claire Thomson, made recipe videos to help her learn to cook. They proved popular online and became a cookbook, Dear Grace, which mixes simple recipes with advice on stocking a cupboard, sharing meals and finding a launderette. Thomson says cooking is a life skill that can save students money and help them build friendships.
Source: BBC News, 13 September 2026