The Student Room Group

My little ol' guide to FRESHERS and the first few days of uni!

Hi there,

I know this may get trolled and may not be useful to everyone but I figured as I have been asked a fair few times in the past few weeks if I have any tips for freshers I may as well do a little thread on it!

So firstly HIIIIIIIIIII

I am Katie a 21 year old student, when I did freshers last year I was a bit older than a few people but not old enough to be a mature student, this was a little entertaining at first as I A) didn't look 20 and B) had a 17 year old I had raised since he was 8 meaning many of the other students were only a few months older than him...eeek
This lead to some funny moments for me, seeing girls the same ages as his friends passing out in a pool of their own vomit (one did actually vomit on me, luckily I had a bottle of water and tissues in the "mom-bag" for her...and as sad as it is spare shoes for me). I also found a fair few hadn't really factored eating, unpacking etc into their big plans for the first week, thus spending a fortune on eating out then throwing it up a mere few hours later

SO this is my guide to freshers from a "Momish-still-a-party-animal-but-a-bit-sensibler" point of view!



(IF YOU DONT WANT TO READ ALL THAT THE GUID IS DOWN HERE...OI!!)




SO first day! (or days if you arrive at like 2 in the morning lols)

unpacking

Your Mum/Dad/Taxi/Etc has dropped you off, you've all cried (the taxi driver was like wtf) and now your in your room with 12 bags of clothes, a curtain rail and bedsheets...LINK YOUR LAPTOP UP TO THE WI-FI ,PUT SOME MUSIC ON, OPEN A WINDOW AND UNPACK UNTILL ITS ALL DONE!

I found with a lot of friends last year that if they hadn't packed on the first day, they didn't unpack for most of the year. Give everything a place, there is no one to say you cant have your suitcase open on the floor and use it as a mucky washing basket, who is honestly going to tell you off for keeping all your important paperwork at the other side of you sock and pant drawer! Hang your clothes up and make your room a home, your going to be here for a while!

I also found that getting into a habit of having these "places" for things (even if it literally is you put your handbag on your door handle, keys in the gap on the radiator and spare change in a spare bowl) keeps you that bit more organised for the following year, its so much easier if you can wake up, brush your teeth and grab your stuff without thinking because you've had a "spot" for it since the first day and you will find in time when you roll in at 6am steaming with your shoes in your hand, a kebab in the other and penis written on your head that you will drop these things in their "spot" before passing out fully clothed!

explore inside!

So part of uni isn't just learning academically, its about becoming a more knowledgable person in general, so start by knowing your own house/accommodation. Little things you notice now can save you some effort in the long run, take your camera! This is when you notice any damage that if left undocumented can leave you deposit-less at the end of the year! Take photos of the damage if their is any, test all your taps/lights and say hi to EVERYONE because you never know who is gonna find you wearing nothing but a cowboy hat and thong passed ou in a hallway...if your nice now it may benefit you! This is also a great time to explore fire exits (yes this sounds stupid but when someone sets bacon on fire at 2 in the morning you'll be grateful!), find all the entrances and exits and find where the laundrette/loo/showers/fit-lad-you-saw-unpacking all are! You should also meet all your housemates who may/may not be doing the same...bonding time, maybe invite them out on the next step?

TEXT MUM/NAN/DAD/TAXIDRIVER/BESTMATE TO SAY YOUR FINE AND YOU MISS THEM

explore outside...then go food and supply shopping

So you've unpacked, you've updated face book with "is all moved in", you've establish the hottie from down the hall is into "musical-theatre" and now its time to make like a caveman and forage!
TOP TIP
Its all fine and dandy knowing where tesco and sainsburies is but the best place to shop is and will always be the iceland, the market and the street full of Polish/Indian/Jamaican shops.
I have always lived in the "high immigration" areas not jut because the people are friendly and the rent is cheep but because the take aways are amazing and the shops are a hell-uv-a lot cheeper than anywhere else (plus you find random foreign beers that taste epic and are 70p a can)!
Now the freshers week trap is to think "I am not at lectures I am going to make all my food fresh and be healthy" LIES
Freshers week isn't just about getting drunk its about all the lecture style things they put on to get you in the swing of things, you may not be used to this so if you are anything like me you will pop up late everywhere and be hungry constantly!
I heard a saying freshers week
"A student will either go home from uni a a lot thinner and spend the holiday with their mum fattening them up or go home a lot thinner and spend the summer in the gym! Either way you will not go home the size you came!"
Believe it or not its right, the first half of uni I lost 2 stone because I always had fresh food in and the lack of energy to cook it, when came back after xmas I put a stone back on (not a bad thing) as I discovered three day meals! HUZZAH

SO back to freshers week, the first thing I suggest is a shopping list of something similar to

-all the ingredients for bolognese (you'll see)
-spray cooking oil (you wont run out for the year as it last forever!)
-a big potato (you'll see)
-rice (bag if you can cook it, micro if you cant! you'll be glad you have it when your skint)
-pasta (as above, also a staple of spag bol!)
-frozen chips (great for I CBA meals)
-condiments and a few good spices (no not a code word for durex! we get onto that later, these will save your bad cooking from tasting like pants)
-cereal (hanover miracle)
-beans +soup (you may have them at the end of the year, my money is on you having eaten them!)
-milk (prepare for this to be borrowed)
-cheese (laziness states if you buy a block you make it last long cos you have to grate it yourself compared with pre grated!)
-uht milk (for when all your milk is gone and your gagging for a cuppa)
-teabags
-sugar
-a big bottle of squash (dilute if your not from yorkshire :tongue: , this is great for hangovers and dehydration as your less likely to overdo yourself and feel worse)
-bread
-cupboard/fridge worthy sammich filler i.e peanut butter, choc spread, potted meat NOT sammich filler cos you'll run out quickly)
-a big ass markerpen (write your name on everything)

Now the big vat of bolognese will do you for three meals if you make enough which is three days if you make a sammich or eat the soup you just bought at lunch time!

First day- spag bol
(the student meal you will find as its the only thing EVERYONE can cook)
you can jaz this up with some garlic bread etc and it will fill you up and give you a good base for the the first load of fresher partying

Second day
Jacket spud, bol and cheese- food of the gods! Cook the spud 12mins in the microwave then 10mins in the oven for a crispy skin and boom, food before the Simpsons has gone off!

Third day
This is where you spices come in handy, cook some rice, heat up your bol and chuck a tablespoon of everything in and call it chilli!!!! Even better with cheese and a tortilla!

Now take this method of cooking and apply it to everything!

If in doubt, stir frys are easy, soup is cheep and sundays dinners are a great "whole flat" meal if everyone pitches in although washing up is not fun!

Also by this point your friends (that you'll make in good time, stop crying yourself to sleep, your not alone!) will have found the take aways that dont give you food poisoning and are cheep so from this point on you can go out for tea without it being a very expensive Dominos or Macdonalds again!


A final mention at this point are your basics i.e loo roll, toothpaste etc

Buying basic is a god idea but sometimes its a false economy, buying a nicer own brand 2ply super soft loo roll sometimes is worth the money especially while your body copes with stress, new food and water... and a nice bout of the beer-sheets (notice what i ddid there lol!)
Spending the extra £1 and getting Colgate or Aquafresh toothpaste over the generic stuff won't harm your wallet too much
Things like cleaning products and shower-gels can be bought rather cheaply and always remember to take them back in your room with you if you have shared accommodation...you never know who might use them or more importantly..where

Right, bring on the night!

SO first comment I will say as a "Mommish Big Sister"

Google where A+E is while you are sober...you never know ...

and

FRESHERS WEEK IS GREAT BUT YOU DONT ALWAYS HAVE TO DRINK TILL YOU CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE YOU ARE!

People do stupid stuff when they have been drunk for 4 days, the year before I started one lad was detained in the local play park for getting naked at 4 in the afternoon after a 3 day bender!
The officer in question had a smart use of her hat and was most understanding when he sobered up the next day. THAT INCIDENT COULD HAVE RUINED HIS CAREER AND LIFE, he could have ended up on the sex offender register or arrested.
Now that is out of the way lets get back to the tips...

Join Facebook pages for your uni and local bars and find out when the theme nights are and what the offers are!!
You dont have to go out on a bender every night, if it all looks crap then stay in or go to the local for a game of pool, don't feel pressured, you have three or four years to do it all!

HOME MADE BEER BONGS are not all they are cracked up to be, the hosepipe means your drink tastes of rubber, you just drank your whole drink in one go and who else has had their mouth round that?!?

The student union usually has some great events on, if your fellow freshers are dissing it and saying lets go to a "real club" ask them how they know? are the psychic?

Buying Jugs isn't always a good idea, they are usually 80% pop and make you pee a lot more!

Stick a bit of tissue in your pocket/bra/bag/sleeve...you'll use it trust me

Dont get caught peeing in alleys...you dont live it down AND I CAN VOUCH FOR THAT


Remember the simple boring stuff like:

Wear good comfy shoes on barcrawls and if in doubt girls PACK CHEEP FLATS!

If you feel sick stop drinking!

Sharing Taxis is good, Walking down dark streets is bad!

There is no harm in going home before the club shuts!

Always have a condom in your bag or don't do IT...Thats why they hand out Clap kits during freshers week

Good friends last fro as long as you treat them right, never leave a man behind!

DONT DO DRUGS (sorry mom moment)

The walk of shame is less embarrassing than getting caught getting jiggy in the park, take the boy home or leave him alone!

EVERYTHING GETS ON FACEBOOK SOMEHOW SO DONT FLASH YOUR KNOCKERS/MR-PEEPEE UNLESS YOU WANNA NANNA TO SEE IT ON YOUR NEWSFEED

Lecturers go out too so be careful!




And finally have fun, attend the optional lectures and learn till your head is full, have fun till your heart is full and remember the people you meet now can last a lifetime!
Freshers week is only one week but uni is the experience of a lifetime your hear to learn not just to party, take time to go to the freshers fairs, join a society or two and make memories that you can actually remember the next day!

Hope this helps and sorry for the spelling, grammer: I am dyslexic!

Love you x
The most helpful freshers week/what the hell do you do in the firs few days of uni thing!!
Reply 2
Thank you!
Reply 3
Feel free to add your own tips etc! There may be thinks I slept through or have been too gazeebooed to remember!
Reply 4
Hahaa this is awesome. I am now going into my second year and I so wish I was a fresher again. Sob :'(
Reply 5
Original post by blahblahblah1
The most helpful freshers week/what the hell do you do in the firs few days of uni thing!!


This.
Reply 6
Great guide!
Reply 7
This is the best guide I've read because it's come from an actual student not some 50 year old who was a student back in the dark ages.
Reply 8
Thank you! :smile:
I'm a second year and enjoyed reading that (as well as getting a bit nostalgic :cry2: fresher days!)
Definitely one of the best guides I've read!
Reply 10
This is amazing!
Haha, this is awesome. One thing I'll add.

Even if you skip everything else due to being too drunk/hungover, make sure you go to enrollment and get your student finance form scanned. This is how you get money to live off of for the rest of the year!

Oh, and take a cheep pack of cards. I guarentee, at some point, you'll want them!
That was so funny. Watch out for that suave older guy you tried to get with... he's your 19th century poetry lecturer :awesome:
Reply 13
Dear lord, are you at DMU too :wink:
My main tip is don't be a douchebag who doesn't respect the neighbours/locals. If you're in private accomodation then think of your neighbours at least. Most people in general in halls will be partying so noise isn't a big concern, but after Freshers the game changes. People don't want to hear Carly Rae Jepsen blasting out at 12am when they have work in the morning or have to be up early. I know I sound like an old man but student areas are full of local people who don't like students already.

My other tip is check out flyers and posters around town for decent nights. Locals who are cool cats with their ears to the streets will have lots of knowledge of good nights out in the area. If you have a good and relatively hip underground record store in your area or anywhere else where clubbers go in the day then don't be afraid to go in and ask what's hot. They'll be full of knowledge and know people. After freshers I can imagine some students being sick and tired of the typical student nights with all the indie anthems playing.

Original post by blacklipchic


EVERYTHING GETS ON FACEBOOK SOMEHOW SO DONT FLASH YOUR KNOCKERS/MR-PEEPEE UNLESS YOU WANNA NANNA TO SEE IT ON YOUR NEWSFEED


If the freshers reading this take in one piece of advice take in this one. Many dumbasses still do this and are shocked in the morning to find their antics all over Facebook and on a clubs promo page.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 15
Wow blacklipchic this guide has made me so excited for starting my uni life this friday :biggrin: thank you so much for the tips, I'll be sure to utilise them :3 x
Reply 16
Helpful! :smile:

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