Freshers Confidential

University; enigmatic lecturers, labyrinth libraries, the thrilling feeling of thousands of bright young sparks converging in one place to stimulate their minds and, for the first week at least, test the limits of their livers. Or so the theory goes. Freshers week has become a crucial part of early university life, a social bonanza looked forward to and dreaded in equal measures depending on a students mindset. A fantastic chance to reinvent oneself or an exercise in banal conversation with people youll spend the rest of the year trying to avoid. Its undoubtedly a bizarre introduction to the world of further education, but really what other methods are there? People flock to UK universities from every corner of the globe; in reality probably the only thing for it is to fling all students together with the promise of cheap deals on shots and let them get on with it. In a sweaty club, four-fifths of the way to drunkenness, youre bound to bond with your new flatmates; right? Having earlier this year dropped out of Hull University (nothing personal against the place, I was just in a weird place, or something along those typically angsty teenage lines) Im perhaps not in the best position to give advice on how to settle into uni life. However I did at least stick around long enough to witness Freshers Week- I say witness because thats mainly what I did; observed. At times it felt like David Attenborough should have been commentating on proceedings; of course I dont mean to label my peers animalistic, but so striking were the personality traits and cliques on show comparisons could well have been drawn with a wildlife documentary. Im heading to London to give the whole thing another go this week though, and to help me and the millions of other bright-eyed youths during this potentially overwhelming transitional phase Ive enlisted the help of three students who have been there, done that. Naomi Norton (20) and Charles Cook (19) attend Queens University in Belfast and study English literature and music technology respectively; Joanna Rowse (19) goes to Goldsmiths College, part of the University of London group, where she does anthropology. You wont find any of the generic, frankly unhelpful advice dished out by so many newspaper freshers guides here; this is freshers confidential. University Uncovered. BT: Were you excited about Freshers Week, or did you just want to get on with your course?
JR: I wasn't that excited about Freshers' Week, more scared, because I didn't know what to expect or if I felt particularly comfortable getting drunk with a load of people I'd never met before. I didnt want to make a fool of myself but similarly I didnt want to shrink into the background or seem boring. CC: I was more excited to meet who Id be living with and make new friends than excited for Freshers Week as an experience.

BT: Charles, you believe the Freshers ethos to be outdated. Please explain.
CC: Well considering these people are going to be the bright sparks and the big names of the future, would it be beyond the realm of possibility to expect a modicum of civility? Those not partaking in drinking and general bad behaviour are often ostracised; it is very unfortunate. In that respect the ethos is very outdated.

BT: Do you think some students proritise the partying aspect of university over the academic side?
NN: This is actually a big concern for me. After working very hard to get into Queens its very frustrating to turn up to lectures or tutorials where the other students havent read the book or done the extra reading because they were too wasted to care.

JR: I dont think at nine grand anyone could afford to go to uni just for fun; I think as long as you can balance the socialising with going to your lessons and doing well in your course its fine.

BT: People from many different backgrounds are thrown together in Freshers Week; have you remained friends with any of the students you met at that early stage?
NN: Students feel too much pressure to find their best friends during Freshers Week; in reality I think it can take the full three years to find your future bridesmaids/best men and even bride/groom. JR: Yeah, you tend to just meet the polite shell of each person initially, then later in the year you find out what theyre really likeor when they get drunk.

BT: Which leads us nicely onto the next issue; do people behave differently during Freshers Week? Did you?
CC: There are a lot of egos vying for attention; subconsciously people add certain elements to their personality to make them seem more attractive. A personal example; I enjoy eating vegetarian sausages. In my first week, someone saw me clutching a pack of my Quorn-based treats and asked me if I was vegetarian. I am not vegetarian. But in those split seconds, the idea of being a vegetarian seemed very appealing to me. Girls dig vegetarians, right?
NN: I remember telling my flatmates about my irrational fear of whales on the first day I met them, that was

probably something that could have waited. We still laugh about it now! JR: I think it can be hard to maintain a sense of identity upon moving to university, but then again I have always believed identity isn't fixed or static. I definitely acted less 'me' during the first few weeks of university; I dont think you can realistically be in full-on THIS IS ME mode straight from the off.

BT: So its hard to maintain a sense of your own identity during the first few weeks on university?
JR: I'd say if you were desperately concerned with the self and terrified of changing even the tiniest bit upon moving to university then yes, you might struggle with all the new experiences and new people. But if that's you, then university probably isn't your thing. CC: I think its a good put up pictures of your old friends, as its important not to throw away the book of your old life just because you are starting a new chapter.

BT: Do you feel settled in your university location?

NN: After a year I now feel settled in Belfast; the bit I struggled with most was the amount of people that went home at the weekends. It caused a lot of homesickness in my flat! My favourite thing about being in Belfast is that everybody is very friendly and its easy to navigate your way around. CC: I do, but at the same time it is difficult not to feel completely imprisoned by the student cohort. Student pubs, student nights, student digs. Often in such Spartan and uncomfortable surroundings, always on the move, it is difficult to feel really in tune with the city. Although I like taking brisk walks through the Botanic Gardens and the selection of live music here is excellent. JR: Id say London is a hard place to get to know, seeing as its like lots of little cities packed into one big one. But there is always something to do and I love having that choice. Sometimes I feel very unsafe being a female living in a fairly rough part of London, New Cross.

BT: Do you miss home frequently?

JR: I definitely miss home! I miss my friends and my family so very much but I just think London is so brilliant the homesickness never really gets that bad. I think ideally I'd have all my friends and family just moved up to London with me. CC: I do, and I expect everyone does. The time that you really notice it is if you ever fall ill. With no one to bring you a warm cup of Ribena and a rich tea, you do start to miss those creature comforts of home. But at the same time, term time at university is really only 7/8 months of the year, the other 4 are spent at home, so the next trip back is always just around the corner. NN: There are usually so many things happening in Belfast your mind is kept occupied.

BT: Lastly, what advice would you give those about to embark on the freshers experience?

CC: Even if you dont want to drink loads, there are alternatives like film screenings and coffee mornings. A lot of Freshers Week is centred around alcohol but if that really isnt you, you have to stay true to yourself. NN: You have to remember Freshers Week is not the be-all-or-end-all of your university experience. Theres too much going on in your life to make a massive deal of Freshers Week anyway; missing home, meeting new people, starting your course and getting to know your way around. JR: Try and get involved with whatever you can - nights out, meals, and so on. Finally I'd advise anyone not to get too drunk in their Freshers' week, because very drunk people are annoying and you don't want to be branded the lecher/vomit queen/embarrassment in the first few weeks of uni!

BY EDWIN GILSON