“Life admin: Refers to one’s personal day-to-day chores that are of an administrative nature. This includes tasks such as personal banking, making appointments, paying your bills, responding to personal emails”
Urban Dictionary
And at this point in the semester there’s quite a lot of life admin to keep on top of. Here are some of the most essential to keep this year safe, healthy and hassle-free.
Register with a GP
We have our own GP practice on the University campus and you can register with them in less than ten minutes here.
GPs, sometimes known as family doctors, can treat all common medical conditions, provide examinations, prescriptions, vaccinations, and referrals to other medical services for specialist treatment if required. Your on-campus GP practice, which is in Crawford House, also runs a sexual health clinic and can support with drug and alcohol use. If you live further away from campus, you can find a local GP on the NHS website.
Get up to date with your vaccines
You might have already succumbed to this year’s freshers’ flu but you can reduce your risk of picking up anymore nasties by getting up to date with your vaccinations.
- Check with your GP to see if you’re up to date with your childhood vaccinations, including the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and Meningitis ACWY (MenACWY) vaccine.
- Flu: Respiratory illnesses like flu circulate more in winter. If you’re eligible for a free flu vaccine, you can book an appoint on the NHS website. If not, you can get one in Fallowfield Sainsbury’s, Boots in the Arndale Centre, in Hulme Asda or from your local pharmacy.
- COVID-19: It’s still circulating and you can book a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or booster dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine on the NHS website.
- Monkeypox: if you’re a man who has sex with men you can now book a monkeypox vaccination if you’re at risk. Read about eligibility criteria and book an appointment online here. There’s lots of vaccine clinics including one on Hathersage Road, right next to campus, and another in Withington Hospital.
Sort your council tax
Did you know that unless you live in halls of residence you need to contact your local council to claim a council tax exemption? If you live in a Manchester City Council area, you can claim a council tax exemption here. If you live outside of this area, information on how to claim is available on the Student Support website.
All student-only houses are exempt from paying council tax, and houses that have a student living there with other people working are eligible for a discount. If you’re unsure, there’s more information here for you to double check whether you need to be paying.
Register to vote and claim your free voter ID
You can register to vote in less than three minutes here, but you’ll also have to show a valid form of Photo ID to be allowed to vote at the next General Election. If you’ve got a valid passport or driving licence, you’re already covered, but if not, you can claim a free CitizenCard by using code ‘NUS’.
A CitizenCard (which normally costs £15) is a valid form of voter ID and is also an authorised Proof of Age to buy age-restricted goods, as it carries the PASS hologram — so definitely worth picking one up for free.
Make sure you’re clear on consent
Understanding what consent is and how it applies to your life and relationships is important. If you haven’t already, we really need you to complete this online module which will give you an understanding of consent and the support that’s available to you at the University and in the city of Manchester.
Get on top of your finances
As a student, we know that every penny counts, so we’ve put together an article, to help you make your money go further. Whether you’re a first, second or final year student, living in halls or commuting to Uni, we’ve got you covered.
Make your money go further with our tips here.
Check out CareerConnect
As a University of Manchester student, you have access to CareerConnect from the University Careers Service. Part-time job roles that you can undertake alongside your studies are posted daily, alongside internships, grad roles and a multitude of careers events and opportunities.
As a bonus, if you log in to CareerConnect before 9am on Friday, 6 October, you’ll be entered into a prize draw where there’s three iPads up for grabs!
Find out more on the Careers Service website and read our article about increasing your income with a part time job.
Download SafeZone
SafeZone is our safety and wellbeing app, designed to give you extra peace of mind on campuses across the city or living in accommodation. It’s free to download, easy to use and we recommend that all students have it on their phones — search ‘SafeZone’ on your app store to download.
You can use SafeZone to call for help in areas of Fallowfield and Victoria Park, The University of Manchester campus, Manchester Metropolitan University campus and University of Salford campus.
The team behind SafeZone are also offering a prize draw each month for September, October and November to win a new bike. Students will automatically be entered into the draw when they download and sign up. You will only be entered into the month’s draw in which you sign up, but there’s still time to download and be in with a chance to win! Closing dates are Tuesday, 31 October and Thursday, 30 November.
Sort out your TV License
If you don’t want the BBC to come knocking, either let TV Licensing know you don’t require a TV License (you don’t watch live TV, stream BBC iPlayer or ITVX, Sky Go, Amazon Prime and YouTube) or purchase a license here.
If you need a way to split the cost with housemates, you can use SplitWise to help you out.