September represents a significant period of change for students as many begin their university journey. And with that comes the return of freshers week.
Universities across the country have begun their freshers week festivities this week, with many set to begin next week. This is a chance for students to celebrate their exam results and achievements, meet new people and adjust to a new location.
In your first few weeks of university, it's normal to feel overwhelmed despite the fun that Freshers Week will bring. With that in mind, experts at RateMyPlacement share five ways to make freshers week one to remember.
Introduce yourself
Join in! Freshers week is a fantastic time to make new friends, grow your confidence and learn about what your university has to offer. Many new graduates will be relocating to new cities. It might even be some people's first time in the city so it's important to familiarise yourself with your surroundings.
You'll be at university for a good period of time so making new friends is essential. Plus, you'll need a few pals to keep you sane when those deadlines hit.
Luckily for you, the whole point of freshers week is for you to get to know new people. University halls, the student union and nightclubs around town will be packed to the rafters with students your age.
Start with simple questions like what's your name, where are you from and what are you studying and go from there.
Create a budget and stick to it
Now that you've got a student loan and a whole lot of control over it, it's important to not get carried away. Make sure you're spending wisely, so you can pace yourself and have some money to spare when finances drop later on in the term.
We'd recommend using budgeting tools such as Money Helper which shows exactly how much money is coming in and what it's being spent on. This will help you stay on top of all your expenses and plan your savings too.
Go to your university's freshers fair
This one's a must. And not just for the free pens, sweets and tote bags. Freshers is a fantastic opportunity to find out about all the extra-curricular activities you can get involved with. Find something you're interested in whether it's debating, dance or sport and get yourself signed up. Or join a society. This will help widen your social circle, broaden your skill set and help you maintain that work-life balance. It'll help boost your employability too. We know employers love students who have interests outside of their academic studies.
Avoid burnout
Whilst freshers week has a reputation for non-stop partying, it's good to pace yourself by having a couple of chilled nights in with your new friends.
Get to know each other. Likes, dislikes and all. Especially people you live with. The closer your bond, the comfier you'll feel around them.
Sort out your admin
If you've moved away from home and are no longer surrounded by the help and support of your family, you'll need to take matters into your own hands and sort some life admin to make sure you're settled in. For instance, it's worth registering at your local doctors - many students forget this and trust us, it'll come in handy when you catch freshers flu.
What else you ask? Well, we'd recommend making sure:
- You're fully registered for your course modules
- Have access to your student university account
- Created your weekly timetable for all your lectures and seminars
- All your devices are connected to the uni WiFi before classes begin.