The A-Z of Freshers' Week

Your full A-Z guide to 2016 Freshers' week! Are you ready?

Freshers' week is, and always will be, one of the highlights of the university year. If you are heading to university this September, here is the complete A-Z guide for your first week...

A - Arrival: The nerves, the excitement, hoping your parents don’t do anything embarrassing… it’s all part of the moving-in fun!

B - Bun Fight: The opportunity to sign up to as many clubs and societies as possible (most of which you’ll never go to). You’ll hardly believe how much cool and pointless stuff you can get involved in - Hide and Seek Soc anyone?

C - Condoms: Everywhere you go in Freshers’ week you’re given them. By the end of the week, you’ll probably have enough to last you the year. Well, hopefully not...

D - Drinking games: Down it freshaaaaaa! Drinking games are a key part of every good freshers’ week pre-drink. Whether it’s ring of fire, ‘never have I ever', beerpong or any other, you'll be making/learning new rules all week for the various weird and wonderful games.

E - Exploring: Most of you are going to a brand new city or town, so it’s worth exploring the place as well as the campus. It’s really good to find the best supermarkets, restaurants, and everything else before your lectures start.

F - Fancy Dress / Freebies: These two ‘Fs’ are so fundamental to freshers’ week, I couldn’t leave either of them out. Take some sort of fancy dress started kit (basically some paint and some props) and get ready with your arts and crafts to make your outfit. Freshers’ week themes are usually fairly standard, so have a superhero costume, your old school uniform and a hula skirt ready.

Luckily for you, there will be freebies everywhere. Go to the freshers’ fair and you’ll have bags full of food, pens, wristbands and the rest! Domino’s are always there handing out pizza! Plus, you can get a free Krispy Kreme doughnut now.

G - Gap yah: Even if you haven’t been away for a year, some of your fellow freshers have. They may mention it from time to time….

H - Hangover: This is pretty self-explanatory. You may wake up feeling a bit rough after a big night, so make sure you have some paracetamol ready and the ingredients for a full English in the fridge. (Check out the full guide for How to Deal with a Hangover!)

I - Induction lecture: No matter how hungover you are and how early in the morning it is, you should go to your induction lecture. It’s a nice way to meet your course mates and find out all the information you need. Don’t worry, you won’t be asked difficult questions… I think!

J - Jagerbombs: ‘You never order just one Jagerbomb’ apparently. You can always find a deal on Jagerbombs and you’ll learn to love them during freshers’ week. Then a few weeks after freshers’ week, you’ll be completely sick of them.

K - Kitchen: If you’re self-catered, the kitchen is likely to be the social area for your corridor. It’s the place you pre-drink, play spontaneous games of twister, and actually cook something. You will soon realise that you are in a very mixed ability group when it comes to cooking. Will you be the one burning a microwave pizza, or cooking your flatmates a three course meal?

L - #lads #ladette: There are always freshers who talk a bit of a good game when it comes to how ‘hard’ they are going to go in freshers’ week. Often they can’t quite drink as much as think they can… #awks

M - Money: The first maintenance loan payment hits your brand new student account, and you feel like Diddy. During freshers’ week you’ll be making it rain, then face a long wait until January for your next installment. If you don’t want this to be you, check out our money saving guides.

N - Nakedness: Whether it’s a mental pre-drink, because Baywatch came on, or a late night halls streak, freshers seem to enjoy taking off their clothes. The new sense of freedom affects everyone in different ways, I guess.

O - Orange is the New Black: Is one of the many shows you’ll be watching on Netflix, as you and your housemates attempt to recover from the night before. One of the most cherished skills a student should have is the ability to watch 5 series of something in a week.

P - Pre-drinks: This is the chance to really get to bond with your new halls mates, coursemates and pretty much anyone else at uni. Full of drinking games, stories and some terrible sing-a-longs, a good pre-drink should always be the best part of the night.

Q - Queues: Unfortunately, with pretty much every first year going out each night, there are going to be some queues. Think positively, make some friends, maybe have a hip flask ready (okay! A plastic bottle) and in no time you’ll be in a dodgy student club, which over the next 3 years you’ll learn to love!

R - Reps: Course reps help you get up and running with your course. Halls reps take you to clubs and get you drunk. You will get bored with them shouting ‘down it fresher’ and telling you how much better last year’s freshers were. Just ignore them!

S - Societies and sports teams: Make sure you get involved with as much stuff as possible in your first year. Whether you’re into sports, drama, politics or anything else, you’ll find like minded people at uni. If you can’t find the society for you, why not set one up?

T - Tequila shots: Love them or hate them, tequila shots are more than likely going to happen. Bulk buy the limes, get some salt and have an amazing time.

U - The Union: The union is a major part of your uni experience, and in Freshers’ week this is never more true. They organise events, help you settle in and are involved in pretty much all the cool things that happen in Freshers’ week.

V - Varsity: This is the biggest sporting event in the university calendar. Two rival unis compete against each other in pretty much every sport under the sun. It doesn’t happen until next semester, but the sports teams you join will be harking back to great varsity victories and what awaits for this year.

W - White T-shirt socials: In freshers’ week, there is a general consensus that the best way to get people to bond is to stick everyone in a white T-shirt with their name, subject and a fun fact drawn on it. All that actually happens is that everyone gets drunk and draws penises all over any t-shirt they can find.

X - Even after consulting my Oxford dictionary, I still cannot find the ‘x’ of freshers’ week. If you have a suggestion, leave a comment below...

Y - the Year ahead: Freshers’ week is just the beginning. You have a full year of being freshers and enjoying everything that uni has to offer. 1st year is your least pressurised year, so make the most of it!