It’s almost three weeks into term and the hazy hodgepodge of drunken nights out now seems long forgotten. However, to refresh your memory, here’s a list of the mistakes that most of us have already made. Whether the week was filled with memorable experiences or messy misfortune, Freshers aims to introduce us all to university life (and the blurry blunders made along the way), so fair enough if you slept with Bill over the hall, we’ve all been there...
1) Drinking to oblivion
Truth be told, everyone knows Freshers is just a wild piss-up. No one can resist those mouth-watering £1.50 pints of ‘interesting’ concoctions, so you will no doubt be rolling into your flat at 3am with 25 new people’s numbers that you’ll never see again. That said, what a better way to combat your nerves than by downing multiple vodka shots to Sigala or MistaJam, only to do the Sprinkler out of time - probably on all fours - completely disregarding all the awkward events that happened in the day. But even if your embarrassing moments are recalled to you the next morning, there’s no need to feel ashamed. All part of the fun, right?
2) Getting lost
New cities will always be daunting and confusing, especially navigating your way from place to place to avoid being late to that 9am… Stress! Rest assured, in a few weeks it will all become incredibly familiar – until then, God bless Google Maps.
3) Blowing your loan
Nights out, clothes, booze, Campus Coffee, whatever it may be, you can slowly see your student loan dwindling and you don’t know how to stop. Let’s face it though, it’s expected to spend a fair bit during Freshers. The good news is that with a wristband or a student discount, a lot of clubs accepted you for no more than £4. Once inside you spent a few quid on drinks here and there and it’s all very merry. Then comes those hangover feels where you just HAVE to buy those half price chicken nuggets in Tesco before it shuts, and that 3 pack of KitKat Chunkies… AND a four cheese pizza… before you know it, 12 quid down the drain. Consecutively over a week that’s £84 of your loan you’ll never see again. On the plus side, being new meant loads of freebies and deals, but be wise people, we’re all poor students here.
4) All the sex you shouldn’t have
Friendly frolics: AKA waking up in bed with someone you remember nervously pressing yourself up against last night – that’s cool. Then you briefly entertain the idea that you may be able to keep this a secret until you wake up in the morning with half your flat sat outside your door waiting to see your catch of the day. Awkward, awkward, awkward.
5) Locking yourself away
Everyone can agree that it’s nice to have the occasional downtime with a cup of tea watching Great British Bake Off. I mean, let’s be honest, amidst the hubbub of loud, rowdy Freshers, it’s easy to shy away. To be honest, anyone who says they weren’t homesick is lying, but the best thing to do is to realise that you are not alone and these feelings are really common amongst students. The best way to overcome these feelings is to surround yourself with lively new people, try and forget about what you’ve left behind and focus on the amazing things you have to come. If it helps, talk to people about how you’re feeling; someone will always be there to help.
