How is the first year of uni as a 17 yr old?

I am so nervous i start end of sep at lancaster and i am 17 and will be until June, I am just nervous about the drinking culture as even if I was of age I am not a drinker and people in the UK go crazy with it.

Reply 1

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by amber847

Hi @amber847

That is amazing that you are starting uni a year early.

There can be a drinking culture among some students but I wouldn't worry about this too much.

I was 18 when I started uni but I'm not a big drinker. I went on 1 or 2 of the nights out during welcome week and decided it wasn't for me. Despite that, I still had a great uni experience. Uni is much bigger than school so you can find your crowd of people who are interested in similar things as you. I would really recommend going to the fresher's fair during the welcome week. Here every society at the university will have a stall and you can walk around and find some that interest you. There should be something for everyone but if you can't find a society that interests you, you can apply to start your own. They will often have free trials so you can try out the society before committing to a membership. In my first year I tried a few societies to see which ones I'd like the best. I've tried archery, baking, dr who, and in later years tried womens cricket and tennis. I'd really recommend trying a few and seeing what sticks.

I found that my flatmates weren't much clubbers either so we ended up socialising most of the time in the flat's kitchen rather than going out. A few friends didn't drink so they would either have soft drinks, like sprite etc. or have alcohol free ciders.

I hope that helps you feel a bit more reassured. If you have any other further questions feel free to reach out :smile:

Tineke
Lancaster Student Ambassador

Lancaster University

Lancaster

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Reply 2

amber847

Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador

Hi @amber847
That is amazing that you are starting uni a year early.
There can be a drinking culture among some students but I wouldn't worry about this too much.
I was 18 when I started uni but I'm not a big drinker. I went on 1 or 2 of the nights out during welcome week and decided it wasn't for me. Despite that, I still had a great uni experience. Uni is much bigger than school so you can find your crowd of people who are interested in similar things as you. I would really recommend going to the fresher's fair during the welcome week. Here every society at the university will have a stall and you can walk around and find some that interest you. There should be something for everyone but if you can't find a society that interests you, you can apply to start your own. They will often have free trials so you can try out the society before committing to a membership. In my first year I tried a few societies to see which ones I'd like the best. I've tried archery, baking, dr who, and in later years tried womens cricket and tennis. I'd really recommend trying a few and seeing what sticks.
I found that my flatmates weren't much clubbers either so we ended up socialising most of the time in the flat's kitchen rather than going out. A few friends didn't drink so they would either have soft drinks, like sprite etc. or have alcohol free ciders.
I hope that helps you feel a bit more reassured. If you have any other further questions feel free to reach out :smile:

Tineke
Lancaster Student Ambassador

Thank you so much for the response! It has helped calm my nerves a bit. I think the lead up to freshers week will be more stressful than the actual week!