What is university life like?

Hi, I will be applying to university soon and I had some questions about student life.

What types of events have been at freshers week? I am particularly interested in the events that aren't clubbing related but any information is appreciated.

How have you found the process of making friends? Have you made friends/are beginning to make friends from lectures, societies, from your flat or somewhere else?

Any other comments about how you have found university life so far is much appreciated.

Thank you

Original post by CalicoCat29

Hi, I will be applying to university soon and I had some questions about student life.

What types of events have been at freshers week? I am particularly interested in the events that aren't clubbing related but any information is appreciated.

How have you found the process of making friends? Have you made friends/are beginning to make friends from lectures, societies, from your flat or somewhere else?

Any other comments about how you have found university life so far is much appreciated.

Thank you

Hi!
In my experience, freshers week involved a wide variety of events from clubbing to an on campus petting zoo. One of my favourite events was the mini pop up vintage store. I would definitely look into what your university has to offer (when you decide) and attend freshers fair so you can find out when taster sessions are for the various clubs on offer.
In terms of friends, one of my flatmates is now my best friend, I have a really close group from my course as well as friends from various societies; so in my experience its really a mixture of all different settings. My advice for making friends is to just say hi to as many people as possible, everyone there is looking to make friends so don't feel awkward!

Hope this helps! Faye :smile:

Original post by CalicoCat29

Hi, I will be applying to university soon and I had some questions about student life.

What types of events have been at freshers week? I am particularly interested in the events that aren't clubbing related but any information is appreciated.

How have you found the process of making friends? Have you made friends/are beginning to make friends from lectures, societies, from your flat or somewhere else?

Any other comments about how you have found university life so far is much appreciated.

Thank you

Hi there

There are are sorts of events at freshers week: clubbing and non-clubbing events. Depending on your University, there should be a fresher's fair where you are able to see all the societies displaying their events. You can choose which you want to join, I made most my friends through societies! :smile:

I recommend keeping an eye out on your University's social media (And the student Union page). They will normally post about different sorts of events they host during freshers week. You can really meet people anywhere at University, whether that be your flatmates, those in your course, through society events. All the best with University! :smile:

Hope this helps.
Chloe
-University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 3

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

11

Original post by CalicoCat29

Hi, I will be applying to university soon and I had some questions about student life.

What types of events have been at freshers week? I am particularly interested in the events that aren't clubbing related but any information is appreciated.

How have you found the process of making friends? Have you made friends/are beginning to make friends from lectures, societies, from your flat or somewhere else?

Any other comments about how you have found university life so far is much appreciated.

Thank you

Many universities hold a range of events during freshers, not all our night out related, as a second year, this year for example I attended pottery painting, a beach walk, farm animals on campus, and lots of coffee socials. During Freshers I also joined a few societies so I already had that common ground with the members.
In terms of making friends, again the societies really help with this, I also made a special effort with my flatmates (even as an introvert) which led to cooking together and attending events. In terms of making friends on your course, I'd encourage you to set up study groups. I also made lots of friends by becoming a student ambassador.
Overall, university is what you make of it, grab every opportunity and say yes (where appropriate) even if it scares you. It can be overwhelming leaving home and having to fend for yourself but it's also the best fun you'll have!

Reply 4

ChiefBrody

20

its a fair question to ask when at Open Days, especially of the students showing you round. Pretty much every Uni does something, but there will be plenty of variation

Before you arrive at Uni you are likely to get invited to a few online chat channels (like WhatsApp etc), many initiated by the Uni/SU. These can help you find folks in your accommodation or on your course.

My daughter started at Lancaster this year. The Uni/SU organised lots of events for all Freshers, only a handful were clubbing, there were day trips, social events and all manner of different things. The individual halls of residence (Lancaster call them colleges) had lots of (smaller) events too.

Lancaster seems to puts lots of Freshers together in accommodation, and courses run intro lectures in Freshers week - so there are also chances to make friends there. One nice touch, the Uni also provided a meal pack to every Freshers flat, so folks could cook and eat a meal together, which was fun apparently.

There was also a massive Freshers Fair where 200+ clubs and societies. These clubs organise Freshers events etc too, like sports club try outs - most Unis publish lists of all the clubs, so you can plan ahead a pick the ones you are interested in

Original post by CalicoCat29

Hi, I will be applying to university soon and I had some questions about student life.

What types of events have been at freshers week? I am particularly interested in the events that aren't clubbing related but any information is appreciated.

How have you found the process of making friends? Have you made friends/are beginning to make friends from lectures, societies, from your flat or somewhere else?

Any other comments about how you have found university life so far is much appreciated.

Thank you

Hey there @CalicoCat29 !

Here are some answers to your questions based on my own personal experience.

1) There's usually a sports fair and societies fair where you can go and express your interest for any clubs and societies you may want to join during your time at university. There's usually something for everyone whether it be a competitive sports team, a chess club or even something random like a surfing society. I hear some universities even have a Taylor Swift society!! Particularly at Hallam, there is something called a Freebies Fair which is exactly what it says on the tin, you go there and get free stuff.

2) I personally found making new friends at university easier because I utilised social media before I went. If you join all the freshers Facebook groups for your university then it's a lot easier to reach out to people over social media than to approach people in person. I made a big deal of making friends with people in other flats in my accommodation before I went which really helped me because I ended up not having anything in common with my flat so was always going round to other flats. It also helped me to meet my coursemates before I moved in which meant I had someone to walk in with and sit with on my first day so I'd definitely recommend starting early and trying to find people on your course before you go. Joining a society is genuinely one of the best ways to make friends at university. I personally didn't go down that route and have missed out on making a lot of friends from that.

3) University has been one of the best decisions of my life because it helped me to have my first experience of living away from home, make lifelong friends and it's an added bonus that I really enjoy my course. Coming from a very small town where everyone knows everyone, uni has really been a breath of fresh air for me. However, that really isn't to say for everyone. I know of a lot of people who just think university is the natural next step and if that's what you're being told then that isn't reason enough to come to uni because more likely than not you'll end up loathing going. Make sure this is really what you want and you're set on a career choice because it is a lot of money in the long run.

Hope this helped!
Lucy - Digital Student Ambassador SHU

Reply 6

Liverpool Hope University

Official Rep

19

Hi there!

Most universities will provide alternative events to nights out for students who aren't interested in clubbing/drinking etc.

For example, at Hope, our Residential Life Team runs karaoke nights, film screenings, board game sessions, free food nights, and lots of other events! There's no pressure to go out, but often our students will come to these events before going out. It's a great way to meet new people, and you'd be surprised by the number of people who feel the same as you, and aren't bothered about going clubbing!

Once fresher's week is over, people tend to settle down and party less as they begin to focus on their classes and making sure they don't go over budget!

Best of luck for the future!

-Ella
Graduate Advocate

Reply 7

De Montfort University

Official Rep

16

Original post by CalicoCat29

Hi, I will be applying to university soon and I had some questions about student life.

What types of events have been at freshers week? I am particularly interested in the events that aren't clubbing related but any information is appreciated.

How have you found the process of making friends? Have you made friends/are beginning to make friends from lectures, societies, from your flat or somewhere else?

Any other comments about how you have found university life so far is much appreciated.

Thank you

Hiya,

I don’t know about other universities but at De Montfort University we have a student union on site that runs various events throughout the year not just freshers. The events we have are listed on our website and you can book in advance to make sure nothing sells out as they can be incredibly popular :grouphugs:

and cheap. So I would definitely recommend having a look at what events the university plan (here is De Montfort’s) as then you can get an idea of what life is like as a student there; does the university provide opportunities to meet your type of people and build connections? :beer:

Similar to you, I don’t enjoy the clubbing activities it gets a bit boring but fortunately at DMU at least there are plenty of other events such as pub quizzes, wellbeing Wednesdays, movie nights and opportunities to go into our student city.

Friends wise joining in the events that the university run is really handy as I tend to advise people who are worried about developing friendships you get as much out the university as you put in. :smile:

A really good idea to make friends is also by joining a society as these are student-run clubs with the whole idea being to meet people who have a common interest. :elefant:

For me, the best thing I have done to make friendships here is getting a job with my university which is campus-based as it employs fellow students who you can meet and develop friendships with which is great as I may not have ever met them as they don’t do the same course as me or even live in accommodation. :party:

So find out if your university helps students with getting jobs as you can meet people and earn some money along the way.

Hope this helps, please leave a message if you have any questions
-Maddie :heart:

Hi there,

University life is however you make it. Generally there is always lots going on for you to try from societies to sports to socials.

Freshers events do include clubbing but that's not the only thing that is offered! There's usually groups days where you can check out some of the societies and clubs that take place. During the week societies might hold taster sessions you can attend to see what you might like to pick up during uni. Bath had a lot of fresher and give it go events such as Video games, dancing, inflatable obstacle course etc so the week will be packed with things to try :smile:

Personally I found making friends quite natural. Everyone makes friends with different groups but I found I became closest with my flatmates and society. Joining a society you enjoy is a strong recommendation of mine, not only do you learn a new skill but it pushes you to talk to lots of people and potentially make lots of new friends quickly. I also grew closer to my flatmates - I recommend trying your best to get to know them as you will be living close for at least a year so its great opportunity to get closer and be comfortable with each other.

Hope this helped,
- Sophie (uni of Bath)

What is university life like?

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