Over the past and coming few weeks lots of people will be starting Uni and leaving home.  The first introduction to Uni is Fresher’s Week, where there are generally tonnes of events and a few fantastic memories.  It can also be a sadder time with feelings of home sick and isolation being common in mild to more extreme cases.  Your best bet is to keep busy – when you’re not is when things will start to hit home.

Here are a few tips for having a fantastic Fresher’s Week!

1. Introduce yourself to all the people in your flat and try to have a few icebreakers (drinks, sweets, etc).  These are the people you will be living with for the next year so it’s best to start off well with them.
2. Join a club.  Any universities worth their weight will have a comprehensive amount of clubs and societies; some will be sports related, some will be for particular interests (eg, computers, politics, etc).  You could even try something you’ve never done before; such as becoming a radio DJ.  Not only will joining a club look great to future employers, it will also go a long way in helping you find more friends.
3. Don’t go too mad.  It’s great to have a few drinks…but you don’t want to get any awkward nick names!  Drinking too much is bound to happen so if you are sick in someone’s bin, go around and clean up!  the other problem with drinking too much is that you’ll no doubt be feeling a bit off for the next day or two so you might miss out on other things.
4. Book tickets early!  When i started UNI I decided not to buy the Fresher’s pack which was available.  There were ques for two hours to get tickets to some of the prime events so paying for a pack of tickets (which usually works out cheaper) is an easy way to safe guard your attendance.  I know I was worried that people I knew wouldn’t want to go so I didn’t get it.  This meant that I was dressed up as a Policeman trying to find a ticket minutes up to the event starting….other people had to pay over three times to original price of the ticket!
5. Make sure you’ve got a camera!  Chances are you won’t remember everything the next morning…you might want to read some camera reviews.
6. Enjoy yourself!  Every one’s in the same boat and everyone will be a little nervous and maybe get a bit upset about being away from home.  Don’t hide away in your room…and when you want to go to your room prop the door open so people from your flat came come past and say hi!

Hopefully these tips will be of some use, but if you’ve got any questions or other suggestions then please do leave a comment .  If you’re starting uni I hope you have a fantastic time!