Lets be real – university life is expensive. Between textbooks, rent, social nights and the occasional cheeky takeaway, budgeting becomes an extreme sport. Add trying to eat healthy on top of that? You might feel like it’s impossible. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to sacrifice your health to stick to a student budget.
Why Nutrition Matters for Students
University life can be demanding – a whirlwind of lectures, deadlines, social events and part-time jobs. Amid all this, it’s easy to underestimate the importance of eating well. Research consistently shows that good nutrition is directly linked to academic performance, mental health and physical well-being – all of which are vital for student success.
Nutrition Supports:
Cognitive Performance: The brain consumes about 20% of the body’s energy, so it’s no surprise that what you eat affects how well you think (Gómez-Pinilla, 2008).
Mental Health: Eating high-quality food nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress (Selhub, 2022).
Energy and Physical Health: Students who regularly skip meals or rely heavily on takeaways often experience irregular energy levels, poor sleep, and a higher chance of illness (Pengpid and Peltzer, 2020).
Long days of lectures, commutes or part-time jobs demand physical stamina. Nutrient-rich foods help (NHS Health Scotland, 2023):
Stabilise blood sugar, reducing energy crashes.
Support immune health, reducing the risk of illness after freshers week!
Improve sleep quality, which is essential for memory consolidation
Perhaps most importantly, university is often the first time students take full control of their own diet. The habits you form now can last into adulthood, influencing your long-term health, risk of chronic disease and relationship with food.
Note: While this slightly exceeds the £20 goal by £2, you can bring it back under budget by:
Swapping Greek yoghurt for a cheaper plain yoghurt.
Buying smaller meat portions or skipping mince.
Dropping optional extras like peanut butter.
Sample 3 – Day Meal Plan
Here’s a realistic, easy-to-cook plan for students:
Day 1:
Breakfast: Overnight oats with banana and peanut butter.
Lunch: Boil pasta and mix with tinned chickpeas and tomatoes. Add garlic or mixed herbs.
Dinner: Pan-fry chicken thighs with oil, garlic and herbs, serve with rice and veg.
Picture Source: (PixaBay, 2016)
Day 2:
Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with chopped apple and cinnamon.
Lunch: Use leftover chicken and rice in a wrap or with bread.
Dinner: Beef mince stir-fry. Cook mince beef with frozen veg and soy sauce or paprika. Serve with rice or pasta.
Picture Source: (PixaBay, 2016b)
Day 3:
Breakfast: Peanut butter toast with banana.
Lunch: Veggie omelette with toast. Just 2 eggs + frozen veg = power lunch.
Dinner: Jacket potato with baked beans and cheese (optional).
Picture Source: (PixaBay, 2020)
Best Places to Shop for Students
Lidl or Aldi – Budget-friendly staples and meat.
Tesco Everyday Value / Asda Smart Price – Affordable store brands.
Local Markets – Cheap fruit and veg (especially near closing time).
Pound Shops / Home Bargains – Good for spices, kitchen tools or tinned goods.
Tip: Sign up to loyalty cards (e.g., Tesco Clubcard) for more deals and always bring your own carrier bags!
Save More with Meal Prep & Smart Swaps
Meal Prep Tips:
Plan Ahead: Know what you’re eating before you’re starving.
Batch Cook: Make dinner, save half for lunch the next day.
Freeze Leftovers: Works well with pasta, curry, soup and rice.
Picture Source: (Dreamdecko, 2025).
Ingredient Swaps:
Use lentils to bulk out mince.
No lentils? Use chickpeas or beans.
Alternate meat days with plant-based protein like eggs or beans.
Buy cheaper cuts like drumsticks or chicken thighs.
Cooking doesn’t need to be perfect – it just needs to work for you.
Bonus: Mindful Eating = Better Living
It’s not just about eating cheap – it’s about feeling better. Cooking your own meals:
Reduces stress
Helps you focus
Saves you money
Builds confidence
If you can prep a week’s worth of healthy food for £20 now, imagine what you can do with a full-time salary later.
Tip: Try pairing your meals with a short walk, water bottle refills, and decent sleep. Small Changes = Big Wins!
Student Voices
“Meal prepping saved me at least £15 a week compared to eating out! Now I find it easier to save money to spend on things I enjoy”
– Josh, 2nd Year Psychology Student
“I Stopped skipping meals once I knew I had food ready in the fridge. Meal prepping helped me become more organised and less stressed”
– Amelia, Final Year Nursing Student
“I used to skip breakfast to save time and money, but once I started prepping overnight oats, I noticed I had more energy for my 9am lectures”
– Cameron, Third Year Physio Student
Try this £20 Meal Plan This Week!
Want to see how far your food budget can stretch? Try this 3-day plan and tag your creations with #StudentFuelChallenge. Let’s normalise healthy eating on a student budget.
Question for the readers: What’s your go-to cheap and healthy meal at uni? Drop it in the comments below!
Have you been thinking about studying Business, Marketing, or Digital Marketing at the University of Hull? This blog will give you essential study tips to ensure your success during your studies. Whether you’re just starting your undergraduate journey or coming back for a master’s, this is your one-stop guide on creating positive study habits for success at Hull. Did you know that around 20% of students are distracted while trying to study? (Walck-Shannon, Rowell and Frey, 2021) If this sounds like you, then look no further.. As a second-year marketing student at Hull University, I’m sharing the best study tips that I didn’t know before starting university, so I’m giving them to you to make sure you are ahead of the game.
Why Choose Hull?
Hull offers students excellent academic support through lecturers, the Hubble portal, and the library team. (University of Hull, n.d.). As well as this, the City of Culture 2017 offers affordable living for students while offering a city packed with culture and opportunities. Fun Fact: Hull is ranked the 12th cheapest student city by The Times (Bhardwa, 2017).
Plan Your Study Schedule Early
Uni Life is busy from lectures to assignments to social events and even work, planning is essential to avoid drowning under the pressure of work. A great way to create a schedule is by using planners such as Google Calendar or Microsoft Excel, as these help keep you afloat and under control.
Personal Tip: I break down big assignments into smaller tasks and take regular breaks, as it helps the work feel less daunting and a chore to get started with.
2. Make use of the University’s Study Resources
The Brymor Jones Library is much more than any old Library, with a dedicated skills team and the social seventh floor as well as all the books you could dream of. But that’s not just it, the Library website has access to dozens of databases to support your studies.
3. Find your Ideal Study Space
Everybody studies differently; it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation. What may work for somebody else may not work for you. At the University of Hull and the surrounding areas, there are many different environments to test your perfect study atmosphere.
4. Manage Your Time Like a Pro
I know from experience that uni deadlines come up fast, so you need to develop good time management skills so you can stay ahead of the game. These skills are essential as they can be transferred into careers post graduation.
Recommended methods
Pomodoro Technique- Work for 25 minutes- break for 5- (Learn more – watch this quick video).
Use apps that lock your phone to keep focus ( Forest).
Set Weekly Goals for work you need to complete.
5. Work With Your Classmates
As a second-year student, I can tell you that group work is common across all business-based courses. You will need to develop teamwork skills as these are essential to come out with good grades. Here are some opportunities to develop them.
Collaborate on assignments and share lecture notes.
Personal Experience: Once you break the ice with your group members, you can end up with a tight-knit group of friends.
6. Look After Your Physical and Mental Health
Academic success comes from more than just studying. Keeping healthy is essential.
The University of Hull has the Allam Sports Centre, which features a state-of-the-art gym and numerous courts to play sports on.
For mental health, practice mindfulness with apps such as Headspace or Calm.
As well as this, Sleep, nutrition, exercise and resting time are just as important as your deadlines.
Personal Tip: If you feel yourself getting stressed out or mentally fatigued from work, go to the gym to let off some steam and feel refreshed.
7. Use Technology to Your Advantage
As a marketing student, I quickly learned how powerful digital tools can be. There are many different tools that you can use, you may not know where to start so I have listed the ones I use the most.
Grammarly– this can help polish your assignments by improving grammar and flow, as well as suggesting different words to use.
Chatgpt- this AI chatbot can help you start your long essays by giving you key ideas that you could develop in your work. As well as this, it can help rewrite parts that don’t make sense or suggest things that could be better.
MyBib– This tool is a reference generator, essential for getting references correct.
Five Useful Apps For Students!
1. Notion– Good for keeping all your notes in one Place- Free (Save the Student, 2024)
2. Simple Mind– Good for organising your Thoughts through mindmaps- Free (Save the Student, 2024)
3. AppBlock– Good for staying focused when you’re trying to study- Free (Save the Student, 2024)
4. Microsoft 365– Good for accessing your work anywhere across multiple devices- Free with uni office accounts(Save the Student, 2024)
Studying at the University of Hull is a fantastic opportunity to build not only your specialised skills for your degree, but you will also grow your confidence, independence, and career skills!
Here’s a small infographic summarising some of the tips I have discussed in this blog. Generated by (ChatGPT,2025)
By following my essential guide for surviving university, you will be planning, making use of resources, staying healthy, and using technology, you’ll be ahead of the game and be on track for success in your Business, Marketing or Digital Marketing degree.
Call to Action
Are you a Hull Student or perhaps a student across the UK with your study hack?
Don’t be a gatekeeper- Drop a comment below and share your best tips!
Do you want to swap and learn other people’s study strategies or connect with fellow UK Students? Add me on LinkedIn– Let’s build a network of support.
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Was this blog helpful? Got a tip I missed and you want to share it?
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In the university, many students often feel overwhelmed from their studies. For example, the tight schedule of courses and exams make us feel helpless. Many students are procrastination and always review and write papers at the last minute. This will not only inefficient, but also easily leads to anxiety, insomnia, and even affects the overall academic performance. In addition, the lack of reasonable time management is also a common problem among college students. Faced with many tasks every day, but not knowing how to arrange time reasonably, the result is that work and study are not taken care of.
Therefore, it is particularly important to find an efficient and simple learning method. This blog is helping to improve learning efficiency and reduce psychological burden by sharing some proven study skills. Whether you are a freshman or a student who has adapted to college life but wants to improve further, these methods can bring real help to your learning journey.
Planning Your Study Time
In college study, it is very important to arrange time properly. Effectively management can not only help students complete their learning tasks, but also effectively reduce procrastination and anxiety. Lack of planning may fall into a vicious cycle of cramming and inefficiency, which greatly reduces the learning effect.
A simple and practical method is the “Pomodoro Technique”. This method divides the study time into 25 minutes of focused study and 5 minutes of short breaks. After completing four Pomodoro, a longer break can be arranged(Biwer et al., 2023). This segmented learning can help the brain stay focused and reduce fatigue.
In addition, it is equally important to make a weekly study plan. This can by listing the learning tasks and goals of each course at the beginning of the week and distributing them reasonably to each day, avoiding rushing when the deadline is approaching. Therefore, using a simple spreadsheet or time management tool, such as Google Calendar or Notion will help to some extent.
Effective Notetaking
Notetaking will help to understand and remember knowledges by writing down information. However, many students simply copy the contents from the lectures, and, at the same time, ignore the structure and logic of the notes, which might result in hard to understand in later revision. Thus, good notes should be concise and organized to help with quickly grasp the key points and sort out thoughts.
The first effectively note taking is the Cornell Method that divides the page into three parts. The Main area is used to record the lecture content, the prompt area is used to organize keywords or questions, and the summary area at the bottom is used to summarize the key points after class. Cornell Method is easy to organize and review, which helps to deepen understanding (Thurler, 2019). The second is Mind Mapping, connects related concepts through images and lines to form a clearly structured knowledge network, which is particularly suitable for course content that requires organizing complex information and establishing a knowledge framework.
In addition, using tools such as Notion or OneNote can also improve efficiency to organize the content of different courses, add tags, insert pictures or links, and achieve flexible knowledge management.
Choosing the Right Study Environment
The learning environment has a significant impact on learning efficiency. A quiet and environment can highly improve concentration and learning results.
For example, Libraries usually have quite atmosphere, which is very suitable for long-term and intensive study; but sometimes there may be slight disturbances with the large number of people. In addition, home is relatively comfortable and saves commuting time, but it is also easy to be distracted by mobile phones, family members or beds. Thus, there are several suggestions to create an ideal learning environment. First, using noise-cancelling headphones can effectively block surrounding noise and create an concentrated learning atmosphere. Second, switching your phone to airplane mode or using focus apps when studying can help to stay away from social media interference. In addition, keeping your desktop tidy can also increase learning motivation and comfort.
Choosing and flexibly adjusting a suitable study place according to specific tasks is an important step to improve learning efficiency (Lucas, 1970). Finding the space that makes it easiest for you to achieve greater learning results.
Maintaining Physical and Mental Health
Maintaining good physical and mental health is important for efficient learning. Many students sacrifice sleep, neglect diet or sit for a long time under academic pressure. This will not only affect learning efficiency, but also impact physical and mental health. Studies have shown that adequate sleep can significantly improve attention and cognitive performance. Research found students who get enough sleep can improve their performance by 25% (Okano et al., 2019).
First, sleep is the most important way to recovery. It is recommended to ensure 7 to 8 hours of high-quality sleep every day and avoid staying up late to play phone or studying temporarily. Secondly, a balanced diet is equally important for brain function. Eating more high-protein and vitamins foods, such as eggs, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, can help maintain energy and concentration. In addition, maintaining exercise every day can also effectively relieve stress and activate the brain.
Conclusion
Efficient learning does not mean investing more time, but using the right method. Start making a small adjustment today, such as making a study plan, trying the Pomodoro Technique, organizing your notes, or going to bed early at night. The accumulation of each small habit will lay a solid foundation for your future learning. Stick to it, and you will find that learning is no longer a burden, but a process of self-growth. Start now, and the future you will thank yourself for your hard work today
Call to Action
You are welcome to share your learning skills in the comment area. Maybe your method can help other students. If you find this article useful, don’t forget to forward it to your friends. Let us develop more efficient learning habits and achieve common progress.
For many college students, GPA is not only a number, but also an important threshold for scholarships, graduate school, further study abroad and even job hunting opportunities. However, in the face of the increasing pressure of coursework, it is not easy to improve GPA. In this blog post I summarize a set of practical strategies to help college students steadily improve their grades.
Understand the components and course weightings
Understanding the components of GPA and course weights To improve your GPA, it is important to first understand its components.GPA is not simply a grade point average, but is calculated according to the ‘credit weights’ of each subject. It is calculated according to the ‘credit weight’ of each subject. Different courses are graded in different ways. Some courses have a higher percentage at the end of the semester, while others are more focused on regular performance. It is important to be fully aware of these details in order to improve your grades more efficiently. It is recommended to prioritize your efforts on high-credit courses. These types of courses have the greatest impact on the overall GPA.
Develop a reasonable study plan
A clear, realistic study plan not only helps you organize your time efficiently, but also ensures that all your study tasks are completed in a limited amount of time. A proper plan can make reduce stress and provide you with a clear direction for your studies.
Pre-course pre-study: pre-course pre-study is often a part of studying that many people overlook, but it is, in fact, a key step in boosting your GPA. Through pre-study, you can understand the basic framework and content of the course before you formally listen to the class, so that it will be easier to follow the teacher’s thoughts in class, and you can also identify in advance what content is more difficult and worth focusing on.
Taking notes in class: Taking notes in class is a basic skill for many college students, but there is a big difference in effectiveness between doing it well and doing it poorly. Through effective note-taking, you can quickly organize the key points and difficulties explained in class into your own knowledge system, laying the foundation for subsequent review and in-depth understanding.
Review after class: Reviewing after class is an important part of boosting your GPA. Many people feel that they can “relax” after class, but in fact, if you don’t review in time, what you have learned will be easily forgotten. Research has shown that the brain forgets a lot of information within 24 hours of learning, and only through timely review can you effectively consolidate your memory.
Stage summarization: It is very important to conduct stage summarization on a regular basis. By summarizing, you can review the progress you have made, identify existing problems, and adjust your learning strategies in time.
Full utilization of resources
In our academic life is not only we alone in the fight, the rational use of other resources can be twice as effective with half the effort.
Group work:Many courses have set up a group work program, to actively communicate with a wide range of group members to listen to the views. Reasonable distribution of tasks can reduce the burden of learning can also focus on the work. And other people study in teams, explain to each other, discuss the difficult points, than a person to study alone is much better. Especially when you don’t have an idea, a reminder from others may help you clear your mind.
Tutor help:Tutors are not only experts in course guidance, but also guides in study life. Whether it is in understanding complex knowledge points or encountering bottlenecks in the dissertation writing process, tutors can provide you with valuable guidance. Don’t be shy, actively communicating with your tutor can make your study more oriented and efficient.
Online resources:The internet is an important part of our lives nowadays. Utilizing search engines such as Google allows us to access information in a cost-effective manner. In addition, many platforms provide free online courses, many professors will publish professional courses in these platforms, these courses can significantly improve our knowledge.
Tips: Be sure to recognize the authenticity of online resources!
Health and Mind Management
The physical and psychological effects on learning efficiency should not be ignored.
Maintain sufficient sleep time: Studies have shown that sleep plays an important role in memory, especially after learning new knowledge, sleep helps the brain to convert short-term memory into long-term memory. Through a night’s sleep, the information learned is “reinforced”, which is why staying up late to revise is often ineffective. Getting enough sleep ensures that you remember and apply what you have learned better the next day.
Eat healthy: Eating a healthy diet is not only essential for your health, but also has a direct impact on your brain function and ability to learn. Proper nutrition improves concentration, memory, and the efficiency of your brain’s functioning, while poor eating habits can lead to fatigue, poor concentration, and mood swings. A proper diet provides adequate energy and support for your studies.
Moderate Exercise: Long hours of studying can easily lead to physical fatigue, lack of concentration and even anxiety. Moderate exercise not only improves physical fitness, but also helps keep the brain energized and enhances learning efficiency.
Adjust your mindset: In the pursuit of academic success, it is vital to maintain a positive mindset. Learning is long-term, so don’t be defeated by one or two failures. Learn to accept imperfections, allow yourself to make mistakes, and learn from them instead of beating yourself up. Excessive self-blame will only exacerbate anxiety and put you in a vicious cycle.
Summarizing the learning experience
Learning is a process of trial and error, adjustment and growth. If you want to improve your GPA, you not only need to work hard, but also need to summarize your experience in practice and find the most suitable study method for yourself. Each course has different content, assessment methods and difficulty, so your study strategy should be different from course to course.
Have my learning strategies helped you? Please leave your comments!
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