Not long to go now if you are starting university in September! Exciting times lie ahead of you and the first big welcome event at university is Fresher´s Week.
Continue reading below to see my top 7 tips to make the most of it!
1) Fresher´s Week Wristband
Probably by now your university will already be advertising for you to buy your Fresher´s Week wristband. Usually, the wristband gives you free entry to certain events or night clubs, or at least gives you a reduction on the entrance fees.
The wristband can be quite expensive, so really think about if you want to buy it or not! You will only really get your money’s worth if you think you will attend most events, and especially if you want to go out to the clubs at night.
I personally don´t like to go clubbing, so for me buying the wristband was a bit of a waste of money. I bought one, simply because I felt like I wanted the wristband. But in the end, I spent about £30 on the wristband and maybe only attended events that would have cost me £10 without it.
It’s up to you really, so think how much you will benefit from a wristband and decide if you think it’s worth buying one or not.
2) Join the campus tour and explore!
I remember the campus tour as a really fun event during Fresher´s Week, although I cannot remember anything about the tour itself! There were so many people that you couldn´t hear a thing that was being said, nor did I feel better orientated afterwards either. But it was a great opportunity to meet and chat to loads of other people!
As the week goes by, you will start to find your way around campus more easily.
It’s a good idea to explore the campus and try and find your lecture theatres/labs etc. for the coming week. At least then you will know where you are going when classes start!
3) Attend the Fresher´s Fayres and collect all the freebies!
There are plenty of fayres going on during Fresher´s Week, just check out your Fresher´s Week guide (for the guide at the University of Aberdeen click here).
The sports and society fayre, in my opinion, are an absolute must for every Fresher! Find out about all the societies or sports clubs you could join: Who knows, perhaps you will see something you have never tried before or you find that you want to take up an old hobby again.
Regardless of the clubs and societies, the fayres are also the perfect place to collect loads of freebies (e.g. pens, I think I had enough to last me the whole year!), loyalty cards/discount codes and above all: FREE FOOD!
4) Join a society/sports club and go to taster/give-it-a-go sessions.
Joining a society or sports club is the perfect way to meet new people with a similar interest. It’s also a way of mixing with people outside of your course.
On your university’s student association website you should be able to find a list of all the clubs you can join. For Aberdeen University, follow the links to lists of available sports clubs and societies.
During Fresher´s Week, most societies host welcome meetings and sport clubs offer taster/give-it-a-go sessions. This is the perfect opportunity for you to attend all the meetings of clubs you may be interested in joining. Afterwards, you can decide which one(s) you liked most and where you met the the nicest people.
5) Attend your school induction/meet your personal tutor.
As I mentioned in my post about “12 things to do after you have arrived at university”, it is a good idea to attend your school induction and meet your personal tutor.
The school induction is a great opportunity to be introduced to some of the lecturing staff, find out some general information about your course and meet people that are doing a similar degree to you. This is actually where I met a couple of my current friends.
It´s also always good to make contact with your personal tutor, so that they know who you are. Also, if you have met them before in person it will make it easier for you to feel like you can contact them about something in the future.
6) Bond with your flatmates.
As you will be living with them for the next 8 months, it is always a good idea to try and bond with your flatmates. I was very lucky to get on superbly with mine, and we had the best time ever in the flat together!
Go shopping together, attend Fresher´s Week events, go out for dinner or have a quiet night in simply chatting away. There are plenty of things you can do to get to know one another and have a great time!
7) BE YOURSELF
If there is one thing I would like to emphasise, then it would be to just try and BE YOURSELF. Don’t try too hard to fit in where you don´t. The times at school where you might have felt like you had to are finally over!
At university there are so many more people and you will definitely meet people that you get along really well with – without having to pretend to be someone you´re not. Trust me, even if it takes a while, you will eventually meet people like you!
So just be yourself and everything else will work out by itself.
I hope you found this guide to Fresher´s Week helpful. If you have any other questions feel free to get in touch and leave a comment below!
