Freshers week is important for students in building relationships - Isabella Miller

Freshers week comprises events across a range of environments, whether they be on campus, at the student’s union or in a nightclub, aimed at new starters.

It’s a week of familiarising yourself with a new place, asking for directions, relying on the help of strangers. A week where many days may begin with a hangover and end with a pot noodle. A week of goodbyes, yet what feels like a thousand hellos.

Although an exciting time, it is near impossible not to feel a sense of unease surrounding freshers week and that can be said for both students and parents or carers. I will never forget the feeling of dread when I first arrived in my halls of residence in York, watching my mother wave frantically at me from outside before I reluctantly knocked on my new flatmate’s bedroom door, in the hope we would be friends.

The nerves I felt that first day seemingly got the best of me and I sat in my room like a fish out of water on the brink of tears, fighting every urge not to book a one-way ticket back home.

After a couple hours contemplating if it was too soon to drop out, I pulled myself together and forced myself to the students’ union to collect my ticket for the first event of the week, a pub crawl around York led by previous students. That night, I met a group of friends who I would go on to live with in my second year.

Getting involved in the activities on offer during freshers week is a great way to kick off a university experience. Although associated with heavy drinking and late nights, it’s important for new students to know that there is much more to freshers than alcopops and tequila shots.

Universities such as Leeds Beckett, University of York, Sheffield Hallam and University of Bradford offer fresher fairs for new students. These events again create a space for students to meet new people and look at or potentially join new societies.

Welcome week events usually have information stalls where students can touch base with staff about anything that may be concerning them.

Given the current economic climate, the 2022 cohort may feel they are facing more than just freshers’ nerves and also have concerns about the impact the cost-of-living crisis will have on their university experience.

Again, touching base with university support may give students peace of mind. Most universities have financial advisors and support systems in place to help students manage the pinch.

I was lucky in my first year, there wasn’t a cost of living crisis. I can, however, relate to money woes that come with being a student.

Initially, I was reluctant to get a part time job in the fear it may take away from my studies. But many employers, especially those in university cities such as Leeds and York, are aware of students joining their teams and usually alter hours to fit busy university timetables.

In many ways, the part time jobs I had at university made it that more memorable, it was another opportunity to build relationships and offered a little more routine, as well as extra income.

As freshers week gets into full swing, there will be a sense of apprehension from new students. It can undoubtedly be scary and a little overwhelming. But once those nerves subside and the excitement kicks in, freshers week can be one of the best weeks of a student's entire university experience. As someone who has recently finished university and is embarking on the next stage of life, I would give anything to do it all over again.

Isabella Miller is a MSc Journalism student at Leeds Beckett University.