Wednesday 24-07-2019 - 10:36

Flyers, Vouchers and freebies
Being bombarded with flyers hits a peak during Welcome, with Fresher’s fair itself being the pinnacle. Clubs and societies will be there at the fair and you’ll have the chance to chat, get info and sign up if you fancy (all whilst being cajoled with free sweets). Also expect to find a boat load of food outlets and other student related local business ready to bestow endless discounts and vouchers upon you. 
Make the most of the free pens, sweets, pizza slices, bottle openers, key rings, and wall planners — but don’t feel like you need to sign up to anything on the spot if it’s a bit overwhelming. Whatever happens, you will likely end Welcome week with one of the biggest collections of discounts and vouchers in history. 

 

You will get ill 
Thousands of new people all descending upon the city, the lure of day drinking, rushing about meeting new friends, generally being too busy to eat proper food, or just cooking for yourself for the first time — all these things conspire to kick your immune system in the bum. 
Stock up on cold and flu medicine and sneak in one or two early nights to bravely fight the inevitable. Consider it a rare feat if you do manage to avoid the legendary ‘fresher’s flu’.

 

You’ll have to fight hard not to spend all your cash
There will be a tonne of opportunities to spend your cash during Welcome week – whether it’s gym memberships, society subs, shopping for a new wardrobe, milkshakes at Archie’s or realising how expensive cheese actually is. 
Make the most of being a student and if you are going to be spending, use those lovely student discounts as much as possible and make sure you get a student bank account to avoid the normal overdraft charges.
Whilst it’s not glam, it’s definitely a good idea to learn some budgeting tips early on – especially if you’ve never done before. Head to the Advice Centre in The Union if you just don’t know where to start.

 

You’ll meet so many new people  
The first week will be a bit of a blur meeting new housemates and course mates – it can be pretty intense and fun all at the same time. Although you’ll meet some nice people, it doesn’t matter if you don’t stay in touch with everyone you meet during the first week.
Uni is an amazing opportunity to meet a load of new and interesting people, but if you find that you don’t immediately gel with people, remember it’s completely normal. Sometimes the best friendships come about with time and the people you least expected to be mates with can turn into lifelong pals. 

 

A rollercoaster of emotions 
One thing for sure is that throughout your time at uni you’ll be challenged in new ways both in your work and social life. That thought can be exciting and daunting all at the same time. Fresher’s week is like the microcosm of this feeling. Expect to be experiencing new things every day, so rest assured that feeling out of your depth a little is in fact completely normal. Embrace the fact that one minute you’ll be on top of the world chatting to your new BFF planning a trip to Paris – even though you’ve just met – and the next you’ll be crying under the covers seriously contemplating the meaning of your own existence. 

 

You will get lost so many times 
You may spend a lot of the first week feeling like Dora the Explorer with Google Maps, but try to use the opportunity to chat to the people around you. Asking for directions is actually a good convo opener and remember everyone is in the same boat, so you won’t feel stupid. Plus you might end up getting to know more people this way. Even if you don’t, you’ll get a confidence boost just from talking to someone. 
*If you are trying to find a room in the business school, just give up because it’s actually impossible to find your way around though.