-Your first essay will be terrible. Your first tutorial will be terrifying. It can only get better.
-Don’t let the frantic socialising in fresher’s week stress you out too much. It’s okay to take time out, and hide in your room for a bit. Just because you don’t go to every single event in the JCR doesn’t mean that you’re going to be a social leper for the rest of your time in Oxford. In fact, it’s quite likely that the best friends you make are going to be the people you meet later.
-Accept that fresher’s week is only a week, and that the fun can’t last forever. That probably sounds really pessimistic, but I think it’s worth keeping in mind, so you’re prepared for the abrupt change between fresher’s week and 1st week. I remember finding it quite strange, how overnight, the JCR was emptied and everyone seemed to disappear into libraries. Fresher’s week is not an example of a typical week in Oxford. On the plus side, if you have a miserable time at first (as many people do), you might find it comforting to remember that everything changes very quickly.
-The quicker you learn how to manage your time, the better, but don’t worry if it seems like you hardly have any free time at first. It does get easier. You’ll find time for societies and other things later, even if it’s a struggle to fit everything in for the first couple of weeks.
-Explore as many colleges as you can, if you’re feeling nosy. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anyone else there, and as long as you have your Bod card with you, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t explore. Beware of certain Christ Church porters, though.
-Get over your library phobia quickly. There is no point in being scared of the Bodleian. It’s not going to eat you.
-Actually, go to the Bodleian as much as you can anyway. It’s a special feeling, sitting at the top of the Rad Cam with a beautiful first edition of a Victorian book.
-Go to lectures. Obviously lectures vary in importance, depending on your subject, but lots of English students don’t bother with any of them, which is a shame. There are some bad lectures, but when they’re good, they’re really good. English freshers, if you see Evangelista’s name on the lecture list for next term, go go go.
-Explore your room thoroughly, and don’t be an idiot. I spent most of fresher’s week shivering to death in my room because I didn’t move the chair and realise that the window behind it had been left open by the scout.
-Matriculation isn’t even remotely exciting. The ceremony only lasts about five minutes, so don’t have any expectations.
-Make time for sleep. Terms may only be eight weeks long, but they can be quite intense, and you need the energy.
-If you bump into Thom Yorke in town, don't stare at him with a stupid, gormless expression on your face. It will make you feel silly.