Making the most of Freshers – even when it’s online

Looking back to my first term of university, Freshers was a huge opportunity to make friends and try something new. Even though everything will be hosted online this year there’s plenty of events to get involved with.

Most importantly, make sure you attend Freshers Fair. You’ll be surprised at just how many societies there are and at least one will interest you. I signed up for about 15 mailing lists of societies that I wanted to learn more about it – normally they will just send you an email inviting you to their first event, there’s no obligation to actually join. From there I did some more research on each society and decided what I could actually commit to. It’s really important to sign up for something that excites you – you don’t need any experience in the subject! I decided to join The Verse, our universities student-led newspaper, and stayed there throughout my time at university. I had no experience of writing but knew I wanted to try it out. Over the three years, I got to write about gigs and exhibitions, interned at Wildlife Festival and even managed to interview the band Nimmo. If there’s anything that you want to learn more about make sure to look for the society at Freshers Fair, you could surprise yourself with where you end up.

Also, Freshers Fair is the best place to learn about student deals and offers. Local businesses such as bars, shops and restaurants will often have special student discounts and codes that they exclusively advertise here. Even if you don’t end up joining a society, Freshers Fair will definitely help you get some bargains for the year ahead.

Once you’ve discovered the best students discounts, there are plenty of pubs and clubs that host their own Freshers events – just remember that currently you can only socialise in groups of six.

With the introduction of Freshers Unplugged, you can attend this years Student Union events for free. Not only will this save you money, but you’ll have the opportunity to meet other students on different courses. The quiz nights are also a brilliant icebreaker for you and your new housemates – it’s great practice for pub quizzes and you’ll learn who’s got the best trivia knowledge.

Wristbands for this years Freshers are available to reserve here and will include access to all of the above and more!