It’s the first week of your new life. And to celebrate, you’re going to do the only thing the British know how to do well: drink and party like there’s no tomorrow.
Of course, this is not just what fresher’s week is all about, but it’s a large part of it. Fresher’s week, called by its proper name ‘Orientation Week’, is a period before the start of the academic year in which students can enrol, sign up to societies, attend events, and generally get accustomed to and ready for university life.
Fresher’s week can last from three days to a month, and is often the time when you meet many of the people who will be your friends for life. Needless to say, you don’t want to go into it unprepared.
Get the most out of it while making sure you don’t burn out after the first night with our quick guide to preparing for fresher’s week.
Keep in the know
If there’s one thing you need to do to prepare for fresher’s week, it’s connect yourself up to all the social media channels and groups and uni pages. Do this now and you’ll get in on the best gigs and events before they sell out, not to mention ensure you don’t miss that one everyone will be talking about for weeks.
Even if you don’t use it normally, Facebook is usually where most unis post information about fresher’s week. You’ll also find other crucial uni info and tips on things like accommodation, courses, societies, and guest speakers too.
Universities also tend to have fresher’s week sections on their websites. There you’ll find pages dedicated to what to bring, how to get to halls and campuses, what to expect when you arrive, where to register, etc.
Expect fresher’s flu
Fresher’s flu may sound something to be proud of, but speaking as someone who’s been to university four times, trust me, it’s far from it.
Fresher’s flu is what happens when you get a mix of foam parties, heavy drinking, exhaustion, singing and shouting, and thousands of different people from all over the world meeting and mingling, often in the same space, together in one big phlegmy mess.
Safe to say, your immune system takes a bit of a hit, and the result can be everything from a sore throat and headache to sever coughing, a fever, and nausea. The treatment is simple: take it easy, get lots of rest, exercise, stay hydrated, and stock up well on mum’s home cooked meals.
Sort your cash out
If you want to prepare for fresher’s week well, money should be on your mind. If it’s not, it will be once you realise you can only afford tinned soup for dinner and you have to go crying to your parents for beer money.
Having a rough budget figured out will help take some strain off so you’re free to get the most out of fresher’s week and stay independent. Universities typically have guides to living costs and budgeting on their websites, but what you do spend will be highly dependent on your habits.
Draw up a plan that includes what you want to do during fresher’s week, what you need to buy for the halls, food, trips home, and anything else, and you’ll never have to worry about your finances again (well, at least for now).
