​10 Tips To Survive Fresher's Week - get a 10% off in our student range!

by Danielle Noonan

It’s new and exciting but completely foreign territory, so freshers’ week can feel a bit like navigating a minefield. We’ll help you find your way in one piece!

From working out how many Jägerbombs you can buy on a shoestring budget to the challenge of learning how to use a washing machine, freshers’ week is set to mark the start of a steep learning curve, that’s for sure!

You’re probably riddled with equal doses of excitement and trepidation about starting uni, and we’re here to tell you that the best and only tactic to ensure things go smoothly is to come prepared.

We’ve wracked our brains and plundered through our old social media accounts to remember what sort of obstacles freshers’ week presented us with, and now we’ll present you with the ultimate guide to coming out the other end in one piece!

All packed and ready to go? Use our university checklist to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything important!

Freshers’ week survival tips

1.Save in advance

Although working out a weekly budget for the year is a top-notch idea (we’ve even made a handy guide to help you set it up), we all know you’ve got absolutely no chance of sticking to it for the first week.Alcohol and partying aside, freshers’ week is filled with unforeseen costs like buying text books (yes, they’re essential unfortunately) meaning it’s likely you’ll develop a phobia of checking your bank balance early on.Therefore, we’d recommend saving some cash ahead of time so you can afford to part with a few pennies during freshers’ week. Factor in one-off costs like your freshers’ pass or wristband, which gets you entry into all the main events, and even put together your own special freshers’ week mini budget.You won’t want to miss out on anything because you blew all your cash on the first day, so make sure you plan ahead.

2.Be yourself

You may have always dreamed of becoming a rapper or a member of the Liechtensteinian monarchy, but it’s best to hold off on the dodgy accents and impersonations for now.Likewise, although telling stories about your life back home is a great way to break the ice with new friends, try to stick to what’s actually true (or this will come back to bite you).It’s never a good idea to try to reinvent yourself at uni; people will see straight through it and you’ll feel much more comfortable if you aren’t trying to be someone you’re not.

3.Don’t be shy

Even if you normally wouldn’t make the first move to introduce yourself to somebody, make the effort and others will be grateful – remember you’ve all been thrown into the same unfamiliar boat!Smile and be nice – if you hold back you’ll regret it. If you do find it particularly hard to make the first move, stick some music on while you’re getting settled in your room and prop the door open so your new flatmates (who are hopefully a bit more forthright!) can pop their heads in and say hello.Make an effort to remember people’s names and they’ll be more likely to remember you (bonus tip: apparently the trick is to say their name out loud back to them and it’ll stick in you memory).Also, asking questions is a sure-fire winner – not only will this mean the focus is deflected off you, but you’ll make the other person feel good to see you’re interested in knowing more about them, which is the perfect start to a good friendship!Feeling particularly apprehensive about moving into your student digs? Check our our guide surviving shared living and dealing with any potentially tricky flatmates.

4.Do your admin

Okay, so spending half your day queuing for things and doing paperwork isn’t exactly the wild freshers’ week you were hoping for, but getting this boring stuff out of the way nice and early will make you feel a million times more confident about what’s ahead when uni starts.There’s literally nothing worse than waking up from a hangover haze once freshers’ is over and realising you have to sort all this grown up responsible stuff.The queues are likely to be long, but rather than get wound up about the wait, use them as an opportunity to get to know people (get practicing on asking those questions we talked about).Remember to find out what documents you need in advance when signing up for stuff (acceptance letter, photo ID and passport sized pictures, for example) so you don’t have to come back and queue all over again.Don’t forget you’ll also need to sort out paperwork like applying for your student council tax exemption and a TV licence (although in certain circumstances you might not need one!).

5.Sign up to clubs and societies

Go to your uni’s freshers’ fair and shop around – most have hundreds of clubs, from basketball to pizza appreciation society, so you’re bound to find something that interests you.It’s probably best to avoid signing up for clubs that ask for an up-front registration fee, unless you’re 100% sure you’ll stick to it (so don’t pay to join the hockey club if you’re really unfit as an incentive to get in shape – this doesn’t work).

Getting your extracurricular on is a great way to meet people outside of your course or student accommodation, plus the sports teams’ nights out are always the best!Oh, and it’ll do wonders for your CV when graduation comes around and you’re looking for a grad job (okay, we know it’s a while away, but you can never be too prepared).

6.Ration which events you go to

There are so many freshers events that it can be a total headache (and wallet-ache) deciding which ones to go to. It’s easy to get FOMO when ducking out on the odd one or two, but don’t panic – the earth will keep turning.The inside scoop is that you’ll actually get to know your new flatmates much better during nights spent at home or things you’ve organised yourself than when you’re smiling awkwardly at each other over loud music and overpriced drinks (homemade cocktail night, anyone?). You’ll also enjoy your nights out more if you’re not still suffering with yesterday’s hangover – so don’t overdo it.Come armed with a deck of cards and a bottle opener (drinking games are all part of the experience, remember), and stock up on sweets and tea bags – especially if you live in halls. Sharing treats will help you meet new people and make a great first impression.Also, bring your favourite feel good movies – for times when the homesick kicks in or you’re all wallowing in a hangover.

7.Get on the student discount train sharpish

It’s amazing how much better things taste when they’re discounted – of even free! Now’s the time to start getting into the habit of whipping out your student card at every given opportunity so you can snag a juicy discount.Even if a shop or restaurant doesn’t advertise a student discount, it’s always worth asking and make sure you keep tabs of our student deals section too. If you’re prone to forgetting this stuff, you can also sign up to our weekly newsletter roundup of the best deals, or like our Facebook page for the best daily offers and freebies.

8.Fancy dress is essential

We’re gonna be straight with you – whether your partial to this sort of thing or not, you need to know that freshers’ week is all about fancy dress. Dressing up is a good icebreaker for people who don’t know each other, and also helps you separate fellow freshers from poor unsuspecting members of the public who’ve been caught up in the nonsense.There’s no need to spend a fortune on costumes though. Pack a few fancy dress bits and bobs you already have from previous Halloweens, but the difficult thing is a lot of the time a theme is announced later in the game, so it can be hard to know what will come in handy.A good alternative is to just get creative with what you already have, hit up local charity shops or have a look on swapping sites to see if there’s anything you can grab for free.

9.Fight the homesickness

Leaving home can be more of a shock than you might first expect. As inviting as it may be to spend an hour moaning to your folks on the phone, try to refrain. It will only worry them and give you a bad case of the puffy eye.You may actually find it easier NOT to talk to people at home too much at first, so you can concentrate on building a nice situation for yourself in your uni town instead.Change is always going to be tough, but remember that everyone’s in the same boat – don’t waste freshers’ week feeling sorry for yourself. If you’re really struggling, we’ve got a whole list of tips to help you overcome homesickness.Bonus tip: Avoiding the famous Freshers’ flu with plenty of Vitamin C will also make it easier not to hide under the covers.

10. Bring a piece of home with you

Dont forget to decorate your new space with things that remind you who you are and what you like. Things can get confusing with so many new inputs , some motivational art up on the walls is also a great way to remind you how awesome you are when things start to get tough!

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