Despite what it’s bigged up to be, Freshers’ week often isn’t the best week of your life, and can be really overwhelming. If your Freshers isn’t working out in the way you expected, we hope that these tips help you to get some more out of the week!
Engage with the Society Activities
Whilst Freshers is a great time to get to know the people who live with you, the socials and events put on by societies are a fab way to meet people with similar interests. This doesn’t just apply to the evening socials put on, there’s loads of stuff that happens during the daytime that you could get involved in. Trying out lots of things in Freshers also means that you’ve figured out what you want to join before the Freshers’ fair, so you don’t waste lots of money on memberships you’ll never use!
Knock on People’s Doors
Freshers Week is a time when you will never seem weird for randomly chatting to people you don’t know, and this extends to knocking on other people’s doors! People will be glad you made the effort, and it’s much quicker than just waiting around to meet people at dinnertimes (or in the kitchen if you’re self-catered). If you’re self-catered, go round to the other flats and introduce yourself as well, as the more people you meet the more likely you are to find the people you really click with.
Invest in a Doorstop
A doorstop is great as it can make you far more approachable and makes it easier for others to come and say hi so you’re not doing all the work. It can also stop you from just permanently hiding out in your room, which is always a bonus, and it shows people that even if you are chilling out in your room you are still up for hanging out!
Don’t let anything be an obstacle
It’s can be easy to use any number of things as an excuse to not get involved in Freshers, something I definitely found living off campus! In the long run though, you’ll be glad you forced yourself to get involved and didn’t get put off. For example, it’s definitely better to spend money on taxis rather than miss socials because you’re worried about walking back alone, especially as the people you meet may well walk you back anyway! Similarly, most societies welcome people of all abilities so it’s always worth trying stuff out.
Give Voice a Ring
https://www.exeterguild.org/voice/
The student nightline is always there if you just want to chat things through, or especially if you want to talk to someone whilst walking back at night. Everyone on it has experienced how scary and overwhelming Fresher’s can be so they will be very sympathetic! There’s lots of ways of getting in contact, so is definitely worth bearing in mind.
Freshers’ week can be tough, but just remember that it’s only the beginning, so even if you don’t get to do everything you want to during the week, it’s never too late. Remember to look after yourself, but try to throw yourself into it and have fun!