Top tips for freshers
By: Dan, redwigwam
Finished your A-levels, the grades are through- you got in!
Now you can imagine life in university.
The feeling of adulthood makes you feel accomplished, breaking through into the middle class.
Also, you’re just looking forward to moving away and beginning your life.
All while letting all your inhibitions fade slowly into a pit of getting absolutely smashed every weekend for three years straight.
You’ll take certain things in your stride and learn that you’ve been naïve in others.
It depends on the person you are.
But you’ll see many guides such as this for a reason.
Cathartic as this is, I also feel it scratches the itch of lacking wisdom.
Many are unprepared, or unwilling to listen – and as the year's progress, you may wish advice was given to you – like me.
So here it goes…
Freshers are notoriously naïve, they assume many things about university that may or may not be true.
‘Like school but with more nights out and fewer people telling you what to do’.
This is true, but sometimes as an 18-year-old your decisions are terrible.
Really terrible.
Like steal street signs and throw them in the Mersey terrible.
Like having a BBQ in your room terrible.
Like spending all your money on a Louis Vuitton Bag and thinking you’ll be able to live on Aldi Pasta terrible.
So listen…
Because if you’re a fresher; you’re probably pretty stupid.
Be better with money.
‘Lad. I’m getting £8,000. My bank account knows no bounds. Drinks on me.’
It seems like a lot of money at first.
But it really isn’t…
Yes, you can buy some luxuries for your new room, and other things, but when you go straight to JD and buy 4 pairs of trainers you’re overdoing it.
Try and have a plan- see how much money you have per week…
And try your best to stick to it.
Because asking your mum for money every week is beta behaviour.
Be confident.
The amount of nervous people you’ll see in your first semester is pretty sad.
Some poor people can carry over fears of un-popularity straight from sixth form.
You’ll hear shaky voices, sweaty foreheads or even people not turning up because of it.
Be consciously nice and try to coax people out their shell, and you’ll make friends, it’s cool to be nice, not judgmental.
Don’t die.
Back to terrible decisions.
Yes, you are now an adult (kinda) and yes you can make decisions for yourself.
This doesn't mean that you should create habits that’ll make you gain 4 stone, be depressed and have the sleeping pattern of a diseased nocturnal animal.
Go out, do your thing, but maybe refrain from eating popcorn chicken and chips every night.
Join the gym. Eat some fruit. You’ll be happier in the end.
Make sure you leave with a degree.
People forget why they go to University.
It becomes a camp for people who don’t like their parents.
A government-funded scheme to pay for a flat and for your nights out.
But it isn’t, you have to actually work!
Like read books and write essays and stuff.
I know, its crazy – but sometimes you have to wake up at 8 am for a lecture.
WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT?!
You’re paying a lot of money for this education.
So try and leave with a piece of paper that has something noteworthy on it.
Or you’ll regret all the times you stayed in bed, romanticised an all night-er for the coursework, or turned up hungover for a lecture.
If you give a shred of effort you will get a 2:1, so keep yourself accountable and stop taking the path of least resistance. For once.
