Thought I'd write a bit about an experience I've recently been through; the start of university life and the infamous 'Freshers Week'. I personally loved this week as it gave me the opportunity to get to know my new flatmates and coursemates as well as having a lot of fun. But depending on the type of person you are, the experience can be totally different. I know some people from High School who went into Freshers as shy, quiet people and came out the complete opposite! But this post is going to be based on my experience and a few bits of advice I'd give to anyone starting Freshers this September coming.
1. Be as sociable as possible.
I can't stress this one enough; it's so so important! When it's move in day, get some sort of door stop, even if it's just a box of your stuff. It lets your flatmates know that you're in and they can say hi when coming past, allowing you to introduce yourself to each other. There's six of us living together and we all got on straight away as there was no awkwardness. Don't just sit in your room if you can hear everyone else in the kitchen; go and make the effort or you'll regret it later! As a flat, we had a couple of games nights in Freshers, where we'd play Cards Against Humanity, Articulate and whatever else we could come up with. It's such an ice breaker to have everyone together and laughing whilst having some competitive fun.
2. Be careful with your money.
My student loan didn't come in until the week after Freshers and so I had to be really careful with what I spent. Freshers events aren't cheap and so make sure to choose which ones to attend - another point is to make sure not to book anything before you know what others are going to. Imagine booking an event and having no-one to go with, in a new city - not the best of ideas really! My parents did a food shop with me the day I moved in which lasted about 2 weeks so that's one thing I didn't have to budget for, but there's other things like any books, equipment etc you may not have thought about before moving in.
3. Get to know as many people as you can.
On the first day of introduction week, because we had a group chat, all of the journalism first years met up and walked into our first lecture together. This was such a good idea, it meant nobody walking in alone and getting to know a lot of people all at once! You instantly will find people you click with, and it won't be everyone so don't pressure yourself to be friendly with every person on the course. I personally now have a group of six that are in all my seminar classes and who I'm really close to. With a mix of coursemates and flatmates, there's not much of a chance of feeling lonely!
4. Be yourself.
It sounds so silly and so cliche but it's also very true. If you aren't the type to go out drinking and being in the clubs till 4, then don't change that! Freshers is a chance to try a lot of new things though, so if you are tempted to see if you'll like it, then give it a try one night. It's the same the other way round too; if you want to have a night in, then go for it! If you put up a facade, you'll be tired of it by the end of Freshers and you'll end up coming off as fake - just be yourself!
5. Learn your way around.
In the first couple of days, my flatmate and I thought it would be a great idea to go to the Botanical Gardens - which we didn't realize was at the other end of the city, resulting in a 6 mile walk! Not the best day, as it was throwing it down with rain, however it meant we saw the other end of the city. We also learnt where our buildings were for our respective courses and the quickest ways to get into town from our accommodation. Freshers week is just made for familiarizing yourself with a new place, giving you enough time to find new favourite shops, restaurants and places to chill with friends for after lectures.
There's my few pearls of wisdom - Freshers Week is such a great experience and if you're going to uni this year, enjoy and make the most of it!
Charlie x
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