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Freshers week

When do most people buy tickets to freshers?

How do you know what happens each day?

Is it common to go to every party every day?

Reply 1

mike23mike

Freshers week can be overwhelming. During that week you have to register for your course and pay your course fees - otherwise you will not get your email id and access to the uni's virtual learning system. The rest of the week is up to you. You can go to every party going or pick and choose which events to attend. Certainly join one or two societies since they are great for socialising and making friends who are interested in the same things as you. There will be events organised by your course social committee - attend them since its great to meet people off your course. Then there will be events organised by the students union. Then there will be events organised by your halls of residence. You can choose to go to all or none. its up to you.

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

When do most people buy tickets to freshers?

How do you know what happens each day?

Is it common to go to every party every day?

Hiya,

I'm a second-year at Lancaster University so I can give you some advice about my own experiences when I did Fresher's week. Although every uni is different so it may not be the same where you're going.

The 'timetable' for Freshers was released through social media about two weeks before it actually happened. It had all the times, events, locations and even a map to let us know where we were going and every event was optional as to whether you wanted to attend or not. When we arrived, we were even given a paper copy of the itinerary.

At Lancaster, we have a collegiate system (a bit like in Harry Potter and there are 4 houses). Each college had a unique Fresher's week with different activities. As such, the uni club in town was only open to 2 colleges each night. You had to have your colleges wristband to get in. I payed for mine through the uni's student union website when they were made available and I believe we received an email when they were released and it was on social media too. The wristband was worth it in my opinion because it gave me cheaper access to some clubs as well as some discounted drinks.

Personally, I did go out to party every night because that's what I enjoy but I also know people that didn't. I liked to go out to meet new people but there were other activities like campus tours and woodland walks throughout the day which I went to as well. There was no pressure to go out every night.

Hope this helps
-Beth (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 3

martin7

Original post by mike23mike

Most home students won't need to pay course fees, as those are normally paid directly to the university by the Student Loans Company once the university has confirmed the student is in attendance. So yes, students will normally need to turn up in person at a registration session, which is normally in freshers' week. Once the university notifies SLC that the student is attendance, SLC will pay over the tuition fees to the university and authorise payment of the maintenance loan to the student.

Issuing the email access may well be triggered by other processes. At a university I know of, issuing of the username and password to access email and the virtual learning system is part of an online registration process that happens a couple of weeks before freshers' week. This access will be shut down if the student fails to turn up in person to register either during freshers' week or shortly thereafter.

A student will typically be issued with their university ID card during the in-person registration session, which is another reason not to miss it.

Reply 4

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

When do most people buy tickets to freshers?

How do you know what happens each day?

Is it common to go to every party every day?

Hey there!
It's different for everyone but I chose to buy my freshers tickets once I'd found out who my housemates were because I didn't want to end up having bought different tickets to them. I found out what freshers events were available from Facebook groups for freshers and events companies usually post things they're hosting in there. If it's run by an events company then they'll probably run the same events every week. Other ways you can find out events going on is by word of mouth. During freshers week people usually go to events every night but you definitely don't have to, it's just that most people do purely for freshers week. I went out every night during freshers week apart from Thursday because nothing was going on (usually there's barely any student events on a Thursday) so it was a good way to break up the week and give me a rest. I'd see what your flatmates are planning on doing before buying any tickets. You might also find posters around the city advertising events.

Hope this helped!
Lucy - Digital Student Ambassador SHU

Reply 5

University of Kent Reps

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

When do most people buy tickets to freshers?

How do you know what happens each day?

Is it common to go to every party every day?

Hi there

Firstly, a lot of these things depend on your specific university so I can only speak on behalf of my experience at Kent. In terms of buying tickets to freshers events there are often freshers wristbands that are advertised. These give you entry to all events throughout the week. Whilst they can save you money if you go to all the events, I would really recommend finding out what your flatmates are planning to do during freshers week first as it is likely that you will spend a lot of the week with them. If they are thinking of buying a wristband then by all means get one too. But if you're not 100% sure then it is sometimes better to buy freshers tickets as and when you decide to go (you can often buy them through apps like fatsoma or on the door). This means that you can pick and choose which events you want to go to and which ones you might want to give a miss.

Your uni should release a freshers week timetable closer to the event. I recommend following them on their socials so you can keep track of which events are going on around campus. There will likely be events everyday and every evening with a mixture of drinking and non drinking related events to accommodate everyone.

Whilst it is common to go out regularly during freshers week, you do NOT have to go clubbing everyday. It is important to take rest days so that you don't burn out. I hung out with people almost everyday of freshers week but I didn't drink every night. Try and say yes to as many things as you can and want but remember that not everyone will enjoy drinking and clubbing as much as other people. Drinking and partying can be extremely fun but so can going on walks to explore the town or campus, going out for a meal or having a movie night. Freshers week is about getting to know people who are in a similar position to you so try to be open to new experiences but make sure to find a balance between going out and resting. Clubs and bars will be open for the whole year so there is no pressure to do everything in one go!

Hope you have a great time :biggrin:

Best wishes

Joanna
-Uni of Kent Rep

Reply 6

CardiffUni Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

When do most people buy tickets to freshers?

How do you know what happens each day?

Is it common to go to every party every day?

For me, coming to Cardiff University was quite spontaneous so I purchased the wristband really last minute but ended up buying a lot of single-entry tickets throughout the week. This did work out more expensive but it's worth it to be able to go out with your new friends. I found that I just met people who knew about events and, if I was interested, I would join them. At least in Cardiff, I can't say about other cities, there are events every day but by no means do you have to party every night.

I hope this helps :smile:

Jaz - Cardiff Uni Rep

Reply 7

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

When do most people buy tickets to freshers?

How do you know what happens each day?

Is it common to go to every party every day?

Hi,

'Freshers Week' or 'Welcome Week' is a week jam-packed with events and activities that is the ideal chance for you to socialize and make new friends before courses begin. At my institution, the institution of Sunderland, the Freshers Fayre, one of the greatest student events of the year, is hosted in City Space. In the eyes of businessmen and students alike, The Fayre has become legendary. Every day is full of fun, excitement, and activity. It is well-liked since it gives the best opportunity to discover the City's offerings and services and take advantage of the special deals offered by a wide range of various companies. The event highlights the many sports and recreation opportunities the University of Sunderland offers, including the City Space fitness center, volunteer opportunities, and the option for students to join any of our sports clubs and societies.

One piece of advice I would recommend to first-year students is to acquire as much information as you can on the things you are interested in before making a decision. I suppose it will be a little difficult at first because everyone is in the same situation when you first enroll in university, but freshmen's week is the ideal time to start. Use an opening question, like, "What course are you taking?" if you're shy about meeting new acquaintances. The University of Sunderland is renowned for its welcoming atmosphere. There are many support services available, ranging from Sunderland Futures to Health and Wellbeing, Disability, and more, so it's important to know where to find them in case you ever need them. If you'd like to learn more about any of these teams and what they have to offer, they will all be present at the freshmen's fair. Freshmen's is a unique event that may significantly enhance your entire university experience.

Furthermore, there is no requirement for freshmen to go out partying every night, but if that is what you want to do, you may because many do. For our university, information about the activities is provided to housing in welcome packets, distributed through email, and posted on the website of our student union. The majority of individuals purchase tickets when they receive this information; there are instructions on how and when to do so in the packet, and there are frequently few tickets available for purchase in person.

I hope my responses to your questions were helpful.
Jade – A third-year BA photography student and an ambassador for the University of Sunderland.

Reply 8

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

HI there,

I bought my tickets a few weeks before just to make sure I got them. Most unis have different events that happen, including freshers fair, quizzes etc. Alot of people will party every day but I didn't, it's definitely not compulsory to if you don't want to.

I hope this helps,

Ellen
Y3 Medical Student
University of Sunderland
Digital Ambassador

Original post by Anonymous