Congratulations on making it to university! Now let’s get you prepared for one of the craziest weeks of your life. Freshers’ Week is all about getting acquainted with your new university in the most fun way possible and getting involved.
By following these Freshers’ Week tips you’ll be able to ensure that you’ll have a great time while setting yourself up for a successful year.
Meet your new flatmates
This is probably going to be the only time in your life where you’re thrown together with a group of total strangers and are expected to live in close proximity to them for a whole year. For this reason, it’s probably best not to 1) throw up on them, 2) stay in your room and hide, or 3) tell them this was your last choice of university. First impressions last a whole year in this case, so be yourself and try to accept that this bunch of people sitting awkwardly around the table trying to think of an ice-breaking conversation will soon be your new set of best friends. Or mortal enemies, depending on their willingness to do the washing up.
Go social
Facebook and Twitter are great for helping you plan your week. Liking or following your halls group, local nightclubs, student media, Students’ Union and society pages is the best way to get up-to-date news on what’s happening on- and off-campus. It could even save you money, with nightclubs often advertising drinks and entry deals on social media to attract new followers.
Take advantage of free stuff
Every student loves free stuff, and Freshers’ Week is freebie heaven. Let alone the number of businesses who will be present on campus offering free pizza slices and chances to win free meals, society taster sessions are a great free way to try something completely new. Sports societies will often offer free trial sessions and many societies will be giving out T-shirts in bids to get their names across campus. You’ll also be presented with lanyards. Lots of lanyards.
Attend society socials and taster sessions
But getting free stuff isn’t the only good thing about Freshers’ Week. Your time at university will likely be heavily influenced by your extra-curricular activities, and societies are a brilliant way to add interesting stuff to your CV. Pay attention to the different events societies you’re interested in are putting on, and make sure you’re there. Showing your face from the very beginning will help you build a good relationship with influential society members and the committee in charge, which, if you’re feeling ambitious, will help you in the long run if you plan to get on the committee next year.
Avoid initiations
Initiations are a hugely controversial part of fresher life and are actually banned at many universities. Beware socials with drinking quotas or ridiculous challenges and remember you don’t have to take part in anything you don’t want to.
Go to the Freshers’ Fair
Usually taking place at the end of the week, you may be tempted to skip this one. This is a bad idea. The Freshers’ Fair is your opportunity to join the societies you’ve been involved in during the week and an extra chance to get to know the committees in charge. Bring cash and get there early to avoid long queues and missing out on the complimentary confectionary that many societies will provide!
Get some sleep!
It’s been a crazy week and you’ve been busy making new friends, joining societies and having the time of your life. Now it’s time to get that alarm set and hit the hay – the studying starts on Monday!
Do you have any more advice for freshers just starting university? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo: Nomadic Lass / Flickr
I’m an aspiring journalist going into my 3rd year studying Philosophy and Sociology at The University of Exeter.
I was recently elected the new Editor of Exeposé, the university’s independent student newspaper, after editing the Games section in my second year. I’ve also just finished up as News Editor at the Hastings Independent in my home town, having spent my summer organising the section alongside completing work experience with a publishing company.
I love to write on all kinds of subjects and look forwards to submitting plenty of articles for Career Camel and beyond!
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