moving into halls

To anyone who has moved into halls or knows anyone. What was it like on the first day? Also what was freshers like?
I’ll be starting uon and I won’t know anyone

Reply 1

Heriot-Watt Uni

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

To anyone who has moved into halls or knows anyone. What was it like on the first day? Also what was freshers like?
I’ll be starting uon and I won’t know anyone

Hi Anon,

These are some great questions!

For me all my flatmates moved in on different days - myself and another person arrived the first day then over the next 3 or 4 everyone else moved in. This is really dependent on the university but I would recommend having stuff to do that first day in case people don't all move in at once. To be honest as a flat we all really enjoyed everyone moving in on different days because it kept it exciting to see who was going to show up next.

For the first day I'd recommend if people do move in on the same day as you (you'll hear them so don't worry about missing someone turning up) then give them some time to get situated and then pop into the kitchen make yourself a drink or some food and say hi.

Freshers is really what you make of it. You can go to all the daytime events and try and the sport clubs and societies and have an amazing time. You can go to all the nights out and have fun that way - for going out I'd just say don't go by yourself for safety; most flats tend to go out together during freshers. My personal recommendation would be to do a mix of the two - try some sports but also go out in the evenings, even if you don't drink or don't like a clubbing atmosphere there's also great pub quiz things going on and loads of other events happening.

For now, if you can find any uni group chats that's a really great way of meeting people before you move in and helps ease the nerves a little. Just be mindful of the bots or people trying to push freshers wristbands on you 🙂

I hope this helps, if you have any other questions please feel free to ask!

- Jessica
2nd year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)

Reply 2

greentiger

I’m going in september but I just want to say no one knows anyone! You’ll all be in the same boat together so just talk to as many as you can and get to know people! I added @ucasapplicant24 on snapchat and they added me into group chats for my university choices as at that point I hadn’t firmed! It’s helped me loads with getting to know a handful of people.

Reply 3

University of Strathclyde Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

To anyone who has moved into halls or knows anyone. What was it like on the first day? Also what was freshers like?
I’ll be starting uon and I won’t know anyone

Hi,
I stayed in halls in first year and similarly knew no one. On the first day of moving in there was a buzz around the accommodation with lots moving in. Parents and families were helping students move in and there were uni ambassadors around to help. As others move in there was passing hellos but it was a few days until everyone in the flat had moved in so it wasn't instant getting to know everyone.
Freshers fairs were good to go along to and find out about different clubs. A few in my flat organised we would go together both to get to know each other and also so we weren't going alone around the fair. Freshers events were all advertised around campus and online.
It is a big change and everyone settles in differently but being open and willing to say hello to others really helps to start you on a good footing.
Catherine - University of Strathclyde Student Ambassador

Reply 4

Liverpool Hope University

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

To anyone who has moved into halls or knows anyone. What was it like on the first day? Also what was freshers like?
I’ll be starting uon and I won’t know anyone

Hi there!

It's exciting to hear you are due starting university very soon!

In terms of Freshers, like others have said, it is what you make of it. It is a good week to socialise, explore the city, join any clubs or societies, and see what the university has to offer. Typically during Freshers Fair, you will be able to speak to sports teams as well as the clubs and societies and put your name down for try outs, speak to nightlife venues and take advantage of their student deals, and also speak to any other businesses that the university may invite to promote any other deals.

It's a great way to get yourself settled before any major teaching and make new friends! The majority of the time, everyone is in the same position in regards to making friends. It is a fresh start for everybody, so that is something you will have in common if this is something you may be nervous about!

Good luck with starting!

Estelle :smile:

Graduate Advocate

Reply 5

WrexhamUniReps

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

To anyone who has moved into halls or knows anyone. What was it like on the first day? Also what was freshers like?
I’ll be starting uon and I won’t know anyone

Hi there 👋,

Freshers and starting university is a completely different experience depending on what university you go to.

First day moving into halls:

•

Normally you will have a time slot to come and pick up your room card/key, meet your accommodation team, and move in.

•

Meet all of your flatmates as they all arrive, and most likely end up introducing yourself to each other.

Take a look at our vlog on moving into university at: https://wrexham.ac.uk/welcome-week/before-you-arrive/

Hope this helps!
Han - Mental Health Student Nurse
WrexhamUniReps

Reply 6

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

To anyone who has moved into halls or knows anyone. What was it like on the first day? Also what was freshers like?
I’ll be starting uon and I won’t know anyone

HI there,

Moving into halls cam feel daunting but once you're there it is a great experience.

In my halls, we had a moving in weekend, so some people moved in on Saturday and some on Sunday. I moved in on Sunday and 2 people were already moved in and then everyone else moved in after me on the Sunday. You will probably get more information about this and specific move in times nearer the time! I would recommend to look on Facebook before and see if there is a group chat for your accomodation as this is a good way to try and talk to some of your flatmates before you move in to uni. I had done this so I knew roughly when everyone was moving in which is why I chose to do it on Sunday as I knew only 2 people were moving in on the Saturday.

When you move in, it's good to try and unpack as much stuff as you can do as this helps later on so your room already feels like your own and this will help with homesickness. It can also be overwhelming having lots of stuff left around to unpack so I would recommend doing this as soon as you can.

Lots of people are around on the first day so chat to anyone you see and when you are in your flat, chat to all your flatmates as and when you see them while you are moving in as this takes away some of the awkwardness of meeting new people. Lots of people go out with their family for some food/ a look around the city ( or at least they did in my flat) which I did and it was nice as not many people were around to do things until the evening anyway.

In my flat, we went out the first evening that everyone was there which was a great way of breaking the ice and getting to know each other. It was a really fun night and we had pre's which helped to get to know each other and we played some fun games! If you or your flatmates are up for it, this is a great thing to do when you first move in.

In freshers week in general, there are lots of events on in the daytime and the evening. I would recommend going to as many as you can as in freshers week everyone wants to go out and make friends so it's a great opportunity to do this. I would go to the daytimes freshers fairs and society fairs as this is a great way to learn things about the uni -e.g. what societies there are and it's also a good chance to look around the city and the uni a bit!
I would also go to any course events that your course is putting on as they are great ways of meeting people that you will be on the same course as! This is how I met some of my closest course friends so I would definitely recommend going to these. You will also get a chance to go to some of the buildings you will be studying in and find your way around a bit!

At night there will also be lots of events on which I also would say to go to if you want to as they are really fun too and there will be loads of people out which makes it fun. It's a great chance to meet people and make some friends as everyone wants to make friends in this time!

I would also say, don't worry about making friends. Nobody knows anyone else so you are all in the same boat and most people you meet will be friendly and want to get to know everyone. if you can, I would join Facebook groups before to try and meet some people and also joining societies is a great way of making friends.

I hope some of this helps and good luck at Uni!

Lucy -SHU student ambassador :smile:

Reply 7

EdgeHillStudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

To anyone who has moved into halls or knows anyone. What was it like on the first day? Also what was freshers like?
I’ll be starting uon and I won’t know anyone

Hey!

In my first year moving in was structured so that you could meet your flat mates on the same day the day mainly consisted of us all unpacking and chatting briefly and then us going out to a freshers party in the evening. Freshers consists of you going out in the evenings usually to your student union bar and then during the day you will have activities within your department in which they will guide you through the year (modules, assignments, exams and field trips) and usually consist of lots of icebreakers and group activities to get you chatting to your new course mates.

There's a freshers fair in which you can get lots of freebies there are usually a couple of companies advertising and is an opportunity to sign up for a sports team either competitively or for fun and for you to join the societies.

Most the time people don't know anyone when moving to university if you wish to talk to flatmates or course mates I would recommend looking into official Facebook groups for your university to find these contacts.

Hope that helps!

Rebecca
3rd Year Geoenvironmental Hazards Student

Reply 8

Chester Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

To anyone who has moved into halls or knows anyone. What was it like on the first day? Also what was freshers like?
I’ll be starting uon and I won’t know anyone

Hi there,

Great questions!

You'll likely book a move-in slot to arrive, collect your key and other important information, and get settled. My first day was unpacking, getting familiar with the campus, and meeting as many people in my halls as I could! Almost everyone was in the same boat as me (not knowing anyone), so we were all nervous, but it was exciting to meet new people.

Like others have said, Freshers is what you make of it. It is a great opportunity to attend all of the fairs, causal events, and collect freebies! I didn't personally go to any of the clubbing/bar events, but they are likely great places to socialize and meet people who enjoy the same things as you. I'd recommend doing your research beforehand to get an idea of the clubs you might like to join, as well as part-time work/volunteering opportunities in the city (if that is something that interests you).

Best of luck,

Isabella
Third-year Geography with a Year Abroad Student