Ah student accommodation messy kitchens, tears being shed in every room, tales of flatcest and stolen food, it's a wild ride.
It's a big adjustment going from living with your parent(s)/carer to living alone, you have to clean, cook, shop and budget for yourself without any assistance, it took me a good few months to even start to get a hang of all of this (my room is still a tip). However, I think that as I have grown and started to sort myself out, I can give you a few tips to survive the uni madness.
(Again, not me, you get the idea)
Tip 1: Keep it simple!
If you've never done it before, I'd throw away the uber-healthy super-food pro cookbook, you will not have the time, money or energy to do it, find some simple recipes and perfect them so you can essentially do them with your brain switched off. For me, I cook spaghetti bolognese and stir-fries religiously and hey, it's simple, it's cheap, it's healthy and it's tasty. Importantly, it is also easily frozen, this has saved me so many times when i get home from work or a long day of lectures and reading in the library and I can't be bothered to do anything, so i reach into the freezer and get a nice big portion of spag-bol out, it's such an undervalued tactic that has single handedly saved my student diet.
Tip 2: Clean as you go
McDonalds rammed this into me during my training, so much so that I've started doing it in the flat, everytime you use a dish, or dirty a surface, clean it before you move on. It sounds obvious but it is so much easier to clean one bowl and some cutlery than 2 pots, a pan, 3 bowls and a plate that you've left to crust up over the past few days. Again, when I get home and want some food to cheer me up after a long day, I don't want to be needing to clean something to get it, that would more than likely just put me off and I'd get take out or nothing at all, so clean it up! Force yourself to do it a few times and you'll realise how much easier it is and how much better it feels when you finally get to lie down. Clean as you go!
Tip 3: Try to combo your chores
Again, sounds obvious but it took me ages to actually do it. If you're cooking something, why not put a load of washing on too? Or clean some of the chopping boards and knives you used while you're waiting. Boom there goes two of the things you needed to do, time saved, same amount of effort, it's a win-win.
Tip 4: Do your goddamn washing!
This one has really affected me at uni, I am TERRIBLE at doing my washing. I always let it just build up till I have clothes all over my floor, it's disgusting. I've gotten a lot better recently, still not perfect, but hey let me tell you, just getting it done lifts a weight off my shoulders, and having everything folded away and out of my line of sight makes my room feel so much bigger and more homely, I finally feel good about coming back, I can walk around, I can randomly sit on the floor, It's great. Take it from me, do your washing before it's too late!
Tip 5: Let the tears run
You gotta do it, everyone feels like shit at some point at uni, just let it out you'll feel so much better. There's not much else to say, just don't feel embarrassed or anything, it's natural, let it all out, it's for the best.