what happens at freshers week

so i’m going to start at the university of nottingham this september (if i get my grades)
i’m just curious as i know most if not every uk uni has freshers week. what kind of activities/events usually take place during it? is it just for “first years”? will there be alcohol? does any studying actually take place in that week? what should i bring?

i know these are lots of questions however i don’t know anyone who has been to uni so any answers would be appreciated !

Reply 1

University of Strathclyde

Official Rep

15

Original post by Anonymous

so i’m going to start at the university of nottingham this september (if i get my grades)
i’m just curious as i know most if not every uk uni has freshers week. what kind of activities/events usually take place during it? is it just for “first years”? will there be alcohol? does any studying actually take place in that week? what should i bring?

i know these are lots of questions however i don’t know anyone who has been to uni so any answers would be appreciated !

Hey Anon!

Massive congrats on receiving your offer of study! That's exciting :smile:

What course are you hoping to start?

Freshers is a mixture of lots of different things. Universities really put lots of effort in to the week to make sure that new and returning students feel really welcomed, and to give students a chance to meet new people and settle in. It's not just for first years (although from experience it's mainly first years that get the most involved!). Normally there's a really big buzz on campus during Freshers - lots of freebies, fun activities and cool stuff is set up.

There's activities to suit everyone. You can go along to meet the different clubs and societies in your university, and go to taster sessions to see if there's anything you'd like to join. In previous years I've heard of pizza parties, silent discos, speed meeting events and tons more. There's often opportunities to take campus tours so you can get more familiar with the uni, and there's usually some induction activities for your chosen course. Normally nothing really heavily academic tends to happen - more like some 'Welcome' sessions.

There will be some activities where some can choose to drink but you don't have to get involved if that's not for you. Lots of universities offer sober nights too :smile:

In big cities bars and clubs will offer discounts and special promotions during freshers.

I'd describe it as a big, fun induction week. It's a chance to settle in and get really excited about uni life :dance:

Hope this helps! Wishing you tons of luck with results day and for starting in September! You'll need to drop back in to the thread and let us know how you get on :biggrin:

- Caitlin

Official University of Strathclyde Rep

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by Anonymous

so i’m going to start at the university of nottingham this september (if i get my grades)
i’m just curious as i know most if not every uk uni has freshers week. what kind of activities/events usually take place during it? is it just for “first years”? will there be alcohol? does any studying actually take place in that week? what should i bring?

i know these are lots of questions however i don’t know anyone who has been to uni so any answers would be appreciated !

Hello,
Obviously every uni will have different schedules and events for fresher’s weeks but they will all be very similar in structure.

The most important event tends to be a Fresher’s Fair, which is basically a massive congregation of reps for different societies that your uni has to offer. It’s an incredible event to be involved in because you can find what interests you and what extracurriculars you want to be a part of.

I’m not sure ab Nottingham but as an eye opener to what to expect I’ll share what my uni does. We have Students Union run events as well as ambassadors who will guide you around the city and campus, to and from bars, nightclubs etc. for your experience and safety because it can be an incredibly difficult time for some, moving away from home. So to answer your question, alcohol will be involved but it isn’t mandatory if that’s not your thing.

There are also sporting sessions and academic introductions at our university during the week. Every uni will do it differently but they will be roughly the same, with small changes here and there.

Freshers weeks are all about finding your crowd, getting out of your comfort zone. The university is trying to give you the best first impression it can of uni life. No studying is generally required but you might want to prepare for your studies before term begins.

hope this helps,
Dom

Original post by Anonymous

so i’m going to start at the university of nottingham this september (if i get my grades)
i’m just curious as i know most if not every uk uni has freshers week. what kind of activities/events usually take place during it? is it just for “first years”? will there be alcohol? does any studying actually take place in that week? what should i bring?

i know these are lots of questions however i don’t know anyone who has been to uni so any answers would be appreciated !

Hey there!
Every freshers week is different but there will be some similarities. On the going-out side, some events companies in the city will have a week full of social night events that you can buy tickets for or if you buy a wristband you can get access to the whole weeks events for a reduced price. They will usually have student drinks offers including cheaper vodka mixers and deals on shots. It's completely up to you whether you go to these events or not. I'd advise not buying any tickets until you've met your flatmates because you all might buy different ones. Freshers events are mainly to introduce the first years to the nightlife of the city but other year groups can go to them as well. They usually ask for student ID on entry. Usually depending on your course, there won't be any studying that week. Your course may run some welcome week sessions where you can go and get to know your coursemates before lectures properly start but these are optional. I would advise going if you want to be in the best position to make friends. They also may run activities fairs at your university such as the 'Societies Fair' where you can go and sign up to the sport teams or even just a regular club which is also an excellent way to make friends. Keep your eyes peeled on your university's website for more information about these because for mine I had to get a ticket (it was free) for entry but they didn't email me about it, I had to go on the website to find it.

Hope this helped!
Lucy - Digital Student Ambassador SHU

Reply 4

jonathanemptage

21

Original post by Anonymous

so i’m going to start at the university of nottingham this september (if i get my grades)
i’m just curious as i know most if not every uk uni has freshers week. what kind of activities/events usually take place during it? is it just for “first years”? will there be alcohol? does any studying actually take place in that week? what should i bring?

i know these are lots of questions however i don’t know anyone who has been to uni so any answers would be appreciated !

Well there are always a load of events the days are taken up by admin so you’ll get talks from from the course leader your tutor the student services and everything like that you’ll have to get your campus card and you’ll also have to log into the portal and register with each unit at some points you will also get a library orientation and there will be some introductory lectures but it’s nothing too taxing (my first lab was on the resistor colour code) you might also have a maths test (just to see where you are particularly if your doing a STEM degree.

It there is also the fun stuff first of all there is the freshers fair and sport and rec fair freshers fair is great not only can you go and talk to some society’s you might be interested in (I joined skiing and rock climbing).there will be trial secessions for anything and you don’t need any experience for anything so you can tryout anything you want to try octopush go for it American Football there’s a team it’s not all sport though there things like film club beer appreciation video games just go and see what takes your fancy if nothing does start your own club you only need 20 people to sign up.

Then there is the events the SU will lay on a load of things like traffic light party’s the big night out is always a big messy night and the freshers ball is always cool and yes there will be loads of alcohol but you don’t have to drink a lot if you don’t want to I didn’t and had no pressure to either.

I know it seems a bit daunting but I promise it will all become clear once your there relax don’t panic it’ll all be come clear. Enjoy university it’s a lot of fun.

Reply 5

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

16

Original post by Anonymous

so i’m going to start at the university of nottingham this september (if i get my grades)
i’m just curious as i know most if not every uk uni has freshers week. what kind of activities/events usually take place during it? is it just for “first years”? will there be alcohol? does any studying actually take place in that week? what should i bring?

i know these are lots of questions however i don’t know anyone who has been to uni so any answers would be appreciated !

Hi there,

To answer the part "does any studying actually take place in that week?", its YES at Coventry University. Learning starts from the very first week. However, the first week's lectures are usually introduction lectures giving a brief overview of the module structure, and what content would be covered over the course of the semester.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Juzer
Coventry University Student Ambassador

what happens at freshers week

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