Freshers’ Week In Halls - Four Things I Wish I’d Known

Saskia provides us with her top four tips on how to approach Fresher's week

I still remember the day I moved into halls so clearly; stepping off the train at Euston station, my family acting as concierges to move the ridiculous amount of stuff I insisted was ‘essential’ for uni, and the blend of excitement of fear that set in when I hugged them goodbye and was left alone in my cold and empty halls room.

Freshers’ week can be incredibly daunting, especially when you’ve moved away from home. It is a time where everyone needs guidance, and nobody really knows what they're doing. The most advice I read before setting off to university was ‘buy a doorstop to show you’re open to talking to people’; a nice idea on paper, but not really very helpful. Here are my top four things to keep in mind during freshers’ week that I wish I had known back then.

"Freshers' Week can be overwhelming– adjusting to living alone in a new city, with SO MANY things going on and so many new people to meet"

1)   You don’t have to be a party animal to make friends

Freshers’ week is always hyped up to be a week of binge drinking and non-stop clubbing, to the extent that it seems you have to join in this lifestyle to make any friends at all. But this is simply not the case; in fact, it’s the friends that you do things other than fireball shots with that you’ll likely continue hanging with after the madness of freshers’ is over. Plus, in London especially, you’ll find that going to the popular clubs like Ministry of Sound and Egg will eat into your bank account like crazy. There are so many more fun things to do that don’t involve killing your liver, and the student union website will usually have a calendar of all sorts of activities running throughout the freshers’ period where you can meet new people. On this note – don’t discount the student union club nights. Glittoris, which runs once every month at the UCL Students Union, is an LGBTQ+ club night with free entry, cheap drinks and the most fun and welcoming atmosphere. They have cheesy pop tunes, drag queens hosting all night and run a lip-sync battle a la Ru Paul’s drag race mid-way through the night. You can even bring a guest along with you if you have friends visiting from other unis. You cannot go wrong!

2)   You’re going to feel clueless. 

Having moved into your strange, very basic halls room, there’s going to be a period of time where you ask yourself how you will manage to live on your own, as an adult. You’re going to realise that the only things you can cook are beans on toast, oven chips and microwave rice. Or, if you’re as a bad as I was, realise you can’t even turn an oven on in the first place. Or work a washing machine. To avoid this crisis of confidence, arm yourself with a few basic skills before you make the move. For example, learn how to make some easy recipes. There are plenty of easy recipes online, my favourite go-to sites being BBC Food and Tesco Food Magazine. Bonus points if you find recipes with cheap ingredients -  chickpeas are a godsend. And please, please learn how to use a washing machine before you leave home, to avoid dying all your clothes pink.

3)   People are going to steal your food. 

Yes, even in the first week. This is a fact you will have to accept. Passive aggressive post-it notes left in halls kitchens may seem ridiculous to you now, but they are no myth you might even find yourself writing one out when someone eats half of your tub of Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough. The weirdest things I’ve had stolen from me include a bottle of rose wine and a tomato. One solution is to bring a padlock for your cupboard – but for the fridge, you might just have to stick to putting post-it notes on your food saying ‘may contain laxatives’.

4)   Don’t feel pressurised to do everything right. 

Freshers’ week can be overwhelming –adjusting to living alone in a new city, with SO MANY things going on and so many new people to meet. If you’re not careful, you can quickly find yourself in the position where you have planned to join 50 different societies and meet up with 15 different people in the same day. It’s okay to have a breather and do something relaxing! Take some time to yourself, go for a walk, and don’t put pressure on yourself to avoid missing out on everything going on. UCL actually hold a lovely Plant Sale in freshers’ which is the perfect way to take some time out from your new busy hectic social schedule. Also, you can buy a plant that doesn't need much maintenance and feel like you have your life together somewhat. Trust me, my cactus I bought back then is still with me and THRIVING. Life in freshers’ week, especially in halls, is chaotic. You’ll become best friends with people you’ve met for 5 minutes and then never talk to them again when the week is over. You will join the most random societies ever and never go to any of their events. Without fail, during the first week, someone will set the fire alarm off burning a pizza at 3am. And be known for it for the rest of the year. Don't let it be you.

But there is really no RIGHT way to do freshers’ week – just have a good time!