Fresher’s Week Without the Alcohol
There are many advantages to not drinking during Fresher’s week, such as the ability to have a coherent conversation with everyone you meet without frightening them off, or by being able to walk home without getting lost (and earn brownie points by helping out everyone else in the process). Not drinking in Fresher’s week may sound a little odd to your contemporaries, but in many circles it will be widely regarded as a very good move. You may not drink for religious or health reasons, or you may just be sensible. Whatever your motive, this guide will serve you well.
One point that people often overlook is that Fresher’s isn’t often contained to one week. People will still be partying and drinking well into Sunday night and may even keep going into the next seven days. And the next, and the next, and the next. It’s takes a sensible man to know when to stop drinking. Sadly it’s very hard to be sensible once you’ve started. Not drinking at all during Fresher’s will prevent any overspill into term-time proper and should guarantee you’ll hit the ground running as far as your studies are concerned, which is tremendously important.
Not drinking at all during Fresher’s will prevent any overspill into term-time proper
Along a similar vein, meeting your lecturers for the first time and making sure they get a good first impression of you is much harder to do when you still smell of last night and are wearing the thickest pair of sunglasses you own when it’s raining outside. We shouldn’t have to tell you how important it is to give a good first impression to your professors, particularly if you’re in a smaller class and are likely to get noticed. Your lecturers and tutors may also be able to help you access additional funding such as bursaries which are available to high achievers; a bad first impression with the wrong person could close this door for you. Just in case we do have to tell you: it’s important. Very important. Got the picture? Good.
A Productive Fresher’s
Whilst your flatmates are busy lounging around nursing hangovers and falsely declaring their future plans to maintain a tee-total approach to socialising, you can spend your time being productive! Just because there’s no lessons, and courses don’t start during the week, it doesn’t mean there’s not a lot to do – Fresher’s week wasn’t originally intended as a week-long bender, but rather as a chance for new students to get acclimatised to where they’re living and who they’ll be living with. Making your mark on where you’ll be spending at least the next year of your life important, and you should get to work hanging up posters, setting up you sound system and organising files as soon as possible – this is going to be your home so there’s more to do than you think.
Joining societies you’re interested in to meet other people is also a very good idea during Fresher’s week – the open days organised during Fresher’s are the very best time to start getting involved in societies and are also an excellent opportunity to grab some free stuff! Free stuff is awesome and there’s never enough of it, so grab it whilst you can. It doesn’t really matter what free stuff it is – it’s free! Fill your boots. And make sure to bring a bag. And (this may be a little obvious) fill the bag, too. At the risk of repeating ourselves, free stuff is awesome.
Another very important task you may have to do whilst you’re at Fresher’s is getting yourself a new student card and registering at the university. Normally, this is pretty straightforward for anyone who’s not suffering from a catastrophic hangover, but if you’re a foreign student or if you’ll be studying a special course, there may well be a bit of paperwork to fill out – check and double check. And then make your hungover friends check another three times. They’ll thank you later. You can also make use of hangover free mornings by familiarising yourself with the library, and getting hold of recommend texts before all your peers sober up and come looking for them.
Exploration
Whilst others will be too poisoned to leave their rooms, and are trying to remember how they got anywhere the night before; it might be an idea for you to go out and check out the campus and the town/city you’re going to spend the next few years living in – you’ll get to know it eventually, but sooner is better than later, right? Particularly as far as finding your way to classes is concerned. It’s a small point, but don’t overlook it – one day soon it’ll come in very handy to know your way around the place, particularly in that all-too-common event of a seminar/lecture room change to somewhere nobody’s ever heard of.
Money-Spending Madness
We cannot begin to tell you how many times we’ve seen people blow almost all of their money on Fresher’s week and having to live off the lentils and plain pasta that their loving family packed because they knew this would happen. Not spending all of your money on booze is – of course – a great idea, and sadly isn’t given enough consideration by most students. Having said that, expect to still spend a little more money than you will do in other weeks. Clubs still charge an entry fee to non-drinkers. Which leads us onto the next point.
Not spending all of your money on booze is – of course – a great idea, and sadly isn’t given enough consideration by most students.
Just because you’re not drinking does not mean you can’t go out with the drinkers to pubs, clubs and everywhere in between. You can still enjoy a dance and a chat with someone in a club without having to drink – just enjoy the moment! In fact, as far as the “chat” bit goes, you’ll probably be a lot more successful at it than your drunken contemporaries.
You’re Not Their Mother
Some people choose not to drink excessively during Fresher’s week, instead they want to get the first few weeks under their belt before letting their hair down with a drink or two. If this is you, we salute you. Many freshers want to do this but fear they will become a mother figure for their fellow students for the duration of their time at university, having the added pressure of looking after their peers when they should be enjoying themselves. You needn’t fear about this though; if you don’t want to become a mother figure, then do what any good friend should do and laugh at them. It’s what we’d recommend.
Fresher’s without alcohol can be just as enjoyable, and arguably more memorable. Mainly because you will actually remember it. Enjoy!