The Graduate's guide #2: Freshers

Your first week at Uni can be really overwhelming and a bit of a sensory overload. Here’s a short do’s and don’ts list from someone who’s been through it and made it out the other side.

1.    Say Yes…to parties, breakfast, societies, pre-drinks, fancy dress, pizza.

2.    Be brave…Freshers only happens once and you don’t want to go into your first semester having missed out. Go crazy while you can. That being said, don’t feel pressured to do anything you know you don’t feel comfortable with or will have long term consequences. If it isn’t your thing Freshers doesn’t last forever- you will make it to the other side!

3.    Take photos of everything…you’re likely to have large chunks of freshers which you have no recollection of, so take photos at every opportunity. Laughing at them in the morning with your new friends is a great way of bonding!

4.    Fill your room with reminders of home…I suffered horrible home sickness out of the blue in freshers, and I think it’s because I didn’t make my room homely enough from the get go. I sort of half-heartedly finished it as the week went on. If I could do it all again, I would get my room looking cosy and perfect with help from the ‘rents before they leave. You don’t want to end up crying in what is ultimately a prison cell, trust me.

5.    Remember everyone really is in the same boat…everyone feels nervous and a bit overwhelmed at least once during their first few weeks at Uni (some are just better at hiding it) and everyone will ‘admit’ it weeks, months or years later. So no matter how long it takes you to settle, don’t suffer in silence!

6.    Find your flatmates before you arrive…most Uni’s by now will have facebook pages for each hall/accommodation so you can find your new flatmates. It’s so great to recognise people’s faces when you walk through the doors, and to know you’re not going into the complete unknown. You may even be bezzies before you meet.

7.    Have your wildest nights sooner rather than later…most people actually have stuff to do, places to be, and important people to meet in the first week after freshers. So at least give yourself Sunday to recover. You don’t want to be that person who throws up in the first lecture.