Freshers' Week: Everything You Need to Know

Freshers' Week: Everything You Need to Know

03 September 2019 • 5 min read


Here's how to survive freshers 👇

Freshers' week isn’t for the faint-hearted. It's a whirlwind of new places, new people, and a bunch of new hangovers. You only get one freshers, and we want you to do it right, so here's some things to expect, so you can be prepared.

The living situ 🏡

You’re free! You’re finally moving out and you’ve got the freedom to do WHATEVER you want (pre drinks anyone?). Whether you want to binge Netflix for 18 hours straight, or wear the same top three days in a row, you're free. You do you babes.

You may not have mum or dad breathing down your neck, but don’t expect the new living situation to be quite everything it’s made out to be. Making sure you don’t run out of loo roll, and eating at least a vegetable a day, is harder than it seems. Throw in sharing a block of halls with 100s of strangers, and it can be pretty daunting. So get to know your roomies, and you’ve got yourself a good set of besties to face freshers with.

The reason you’re here 🎓

Just remember that you’ve not landed in a new city just to live your best social life (sadly). Don't forget about that degree you’re here for too (unless you want to ignore it, we don't judge 🤷‍♀️). It's probably best knuckle down and get the boring bits out of the way first, so you can crack on with the freshers fun ASAP.

In the first couple of weeks at uni, you’ll need to make sure you’ve completed all your registrations, campus tours and picked up your ID. You'll probably have had your timetable sent over via the uni portal, so you can start to cross-reference those late starts with the best student nights out, you know, because, priorities.

The freebies 🤑 

Once you’ve got the essential (stroke boring) part out of the way, you’ll want to head down to the freebie fair that your student union will putting on. This is where you’ll probs take part in a spin the wheel or two, get your hands on some free pizza, and maybe even a free hair cut (seriously). You’ll come away with more freebies than your arms can manage, and have a stash of pens to last you a lifetime. 

Although these fairs are fun, and you’ll get a shit ton of free stuff, you might actually get to meet some useful local businesses (and bars) that have some pretty decent student discounts. Have a read through the handouts you get and hold onto anything you feel could be useful.

The societies 🤓 

As well as the freebie fairs, there's the society fairs. This is where you'll sign up to the university sports societies and clubs (who doesn't want to join the Disney society?!).

The best shots in town

By night, it’s a different story. This is where you'll REALLY get to know the student haunts of your city, as well as how many sambucas your housemates can handle 🤮. You can make your own way around the freshers vibes, or they’ll be wristbands available which give you access to the best freshers deals in a variety of bars. Check out your student union to find out more about these.

Freshers' flu 🤒 

Seriously. It’s a thing. Two weeks of partying until 3am and getting up early for your 9ams do NOT go together. You'll do well not to get taken out by the freshers' flu. It gets us all.

Best tip to stay one step ahead of freshers' flu is to stock up on the vitamins, stay hydrated (no, tequila doesn’t count) and try to get at least seven hours of sleep.

Post freshers reality 😐 

Your freshers experience is bound to give you a good taste of university life, and it’s going to be fab. But, once the crazy part of freshers is over, the reality of being away from home may begin to kick in. Like a lot of people, you could find yourself feeling homesick (and a bit skint).

Don’t worry, by the end of the month that first student loan payment will hit your bank account, and you’ll be able to do a decent food shop for some home comforts.

Next comes the almighty house hunt for year two (wait, what?!). Although you’ve only been here a couple of months, it’ll soon be time to start thinking about making the leap from halls of residence into private student accommodation.

It’s a good idea to start thinking about who you’d like to live with (and who you don’t!). Consider where you’d like to be, and what options are going to be the best to save money, as well as being convenient for you and your housemates. It’s good to research how university students go about finding their home for second year, and what you should look for when house hunting.

Are you a fresher this year? Come see us on our freshers' tour around the country, and be in with a chance of winning your bills for a year (£1000) in our #ThrillsBeforeBills competition.


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