Features / Freshers Week
What I wish I knew as a fresher
BE YOURSELF
This may be one of the most clichéd statement in the English language but it is advice that will get you far at university. You’ve probably seen on Pinterest that ‘your vibe attracts your tribe’; university can be the perfect place to form meaningful and lasting friendships but you have to put yourself out there.
Chess club was deemed a bit nerdy in school? Well guess what: you’re at university now baby and there are lots of other chess fanatics out there who can’t wait to bond over a Sicilian defence with you.
University is your time, so join that society you’ve always wanted to try; chat to everyone in your halls until you meet people who you click with, and remember that it is never cooler to be anyone or anything other than yourself.
is needed now More than ever
WAVE GOODBYE TO BEING SPOON-FED
For the first two weeks of my course, I sat wide-eyed in seminars as my classmates opened up some homework assignment I had never heard of and began an academic discussion surrounding the first chapter of a textbook I didn’t know was on the syllabus.
I was starting to think that my tutors had created English group chats without me in them. Turns out that it wasn’t WhatsApp, but rather Blackboard – Bristol University’s online platform – where I was missing out on all of this juicy gossip.
Get stuck in and join one of the hundreds of societies at offer. Credit: Bristol SU.
School teachers may have helped you to organise your life but you have to be entirely self-sufficient in university. Buy yourself a planner and write out every assignment date for the year; check regularly for updates on tests or seminar work and email your tutors with any questions that you have.
It pays to stay well on top of things in order to avoid last-minute deadline stress. With all this being said, first year doesn’t count folks; make sure to have fun and enjoy this exciting new chapter of your life.
MAKE A CLEANING ROTA EARLY ON IN THE TERM
This is maybe not one for freshers’ week as you want to bond with your flatmates a little before shoving a toilet brush in their hand – but the sooner that boundaries are established, the better. I watched too many friends suffer through screaming matches at their flatmates’ inability to clean a single dish.
It seemed comical and charismatic at first but it soon became the utter bane of their existence. Setting up roles and responsibilities around cleaning is worth the risk of being nominated for the ‘High Maintenance’ award at your formal; it will make flat life flow a lot easier and honestly helps to maintain better relationships. Make Kim Woodburn proud and set decent living standards, love!
Main photo: University of Bristol
Read more: Bristol24/7 Student Guide 2021/22
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
