After the month of September looming very closely, and the sound of many students packing their bags to head up to uni, it’s making me reflect on and realize why it was so great to be a fresher.
Having graduated this July, the whole ‘uni’ experience is now over for me. I’ve done the freshers, the exams, the dissertation, the cheap drinks, the no sleep, the work, etc and it’s pretty clear to me that the best year of it all has to be first year. Hands down. And I’m pretty sure everyone who I lived with throughout university would agree.
So for those who are just about to start university… I’m jealous. And for those who have finished their freshers year, you can probably relate to this.
Fresher’s Week
Probably the most important thing to remember about your Fresher’s year. Everyone is in the same boat, no one really knows each other, but you have a whole week to get to do this and by the end of it, you’re all best of friends. Although it may seem that going out every night is a chore, you HAVE to do it. There isn’t another week in your uni year that you can go out every night, get drunk, do NOTHING the next day, not worry about having work to do, meet about a hundred people who become your friends and enjoy every second of it!
Hangover Days
Although everyone has to have them throughout the three whole years, in Freshers you can have them AND not feel guilty. It’s very much allowed to sleep the whole of the next day after going out and not do your work because who cares, it’s not like the work you’re doing really counts towards your final degree. Chill and be lazy while you can because in third year, you’ll be going out and having to get up to go to the library the next day to carry on with your dissertation. First year + being lazy is a must.
The whole “45% rule
Probably one of the best things about Freshers and something that I will never forget. It is all to do with the amount of work you get. Obviously it’s different in each university, but the amount of work I got in Freshers was nothing compared to my second and third year. They broke me in gently, you have a lot of free time, and you have no stress! You can miss lectures every now and then and not really care, you don’t really have to do your seminar work because you can’t get away with it, and that essay you have due in doesn’t need three weeks spending on it. Why? Because 1st year doesn’t count! And at many uni’s you only need 40-45% to be able to carry on your degree into second year. That’s nothing, really. As long as you don’t literally never go to lectures, you will be fine.
Exams
Everyone stresses out during exam period, no one goes out as much and the library is usually packed. Do not do this in first year. I repeat. Do not stress about exams. You don’t need to (see above for the 45% rule). In third year you will practically sleep in the library during exam period, so Freshers is when you can make the most of it and sail through them…
Going out
In Freshers everyone goes out, no one ever needs persuading, no one needs excuses as to why they can’t go out and there are always huge groups of you heading into town. You can go out three, four, five nights a week and never even think about the work you have to do while you’re out. In the next couple of years, going out will start to decrease and your days doing work in uni will increase. Those that don’t make the most of uni in first year by going out when they can will regret. So don’t worry about THAT essay that’s due in, do it tomorrow!
Being 18/19
One of the funniest things about freshers is that you are all young, all just moved out of home, just started going out and getting drunk, and you’re all put together in one flat. The funny times you have in your third year will never beat first year. Everyone is crazy, with extravagant fancy dress, awful prank jokes, embarrassing pulls and funny nights. By third year when you have lived on your own for three years and thinking about what you are going to do with yourself post-uni, the nights aren’t as funny and the pranks aren’t as good.
So… MAKE THE MOST OF IT!