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Guide to a Fresher - Brought to you by James Wormald -
When I was 18, nervously sat in the car, driving up to Leeds to move into my new flat for my first day of university and fresher life. One particular conversation was spinning over and over in my head. This was one I had with my brother a few days previous. Having been at Sheffield University for two years, he had some experience of what it was all about. His ‘advice’, whilst some true and useful, and some not true, and not in any way useful, it all helped calm my nerves and ease me into life at University. The advice given to me was this:
1. Get there early - If you arrive to your flat/house early on the first day it’s available, it’s likely you’ll be one of the first to move in. This means you will get to meet everyone individually, and therefore be able to set up personal relationships with everyone instantly… Instead of having to meet everyone at once when they are in one big group. This can be very over-whelming.
The other advantage is that for everyone else, anyone who has already moved in before they do, they will look up to on a subconscious level. (Sort of feeling they’ve been here for ages and must know all about the place) They will come to you before they do anything. This is perfect if you love being in control and leading people.
2. When unpacking your things, leave the door open. - This is quite simple really, an open door is obviously much more welcoming than a closed one. It will encourage people walking past to drop in, give you a hand unpacking. Which will of course lead to a one-to-one conversation. One-to-one conversations are extremely important when setting up personal relationships with people. They make two people feel more comfortable talking to each other on a whole range of issues.
3. Pack a box of alcohol. - It was advised to me to take a range of alcoholic drinks in a box. This acts as a nice little icebreaker when making new friends. (Obviously you don’t want to suggest cracking open a bottle of Bourbon at noon as soon as you arrive) But everyone gets pissed the first night. If you’re the one providing the alcohol, it’s a small price to pay for a year of worship.
4. Designate cupboard space. - It may sound stupid, but three months down the line you’ll really see the advantages. If you reserve one cupboard in your kitchen for each house member to use personally, it will save on countless “Who ate my last pot noodle based arguments.
5. Emergency pot noodle. - This proved to be much better advice than it first seemed, so take note. However disgusting pot noodles are, you should always carry one in your cupboard in case of emergency. If you just can’t be bothered cooking. Your stomach and your wallet will thank you for not having to reach for the take-away menu.
These were his ‘Top 5 Tips’ to survive fresherdom. So replaying these thousands of times in my head, I nervously embarked on my first day as a fresher.
With his first tip strongly embedded in my head, I arrived at the Unipol offices to pick up my keys at 09:02, 2 minutes after the place opened. Being the first one to arrive, unfortunately meant there was no one to help me work out how the frig you get in. This however, only a minor problem compared to the advantages of arriving early.
The first sight I got that his advice was not going to work was the first day. I was there, unpacking with my door open. Most of the day I was there, I expected loads of people to be moving in, and because I had my door open, I would seem friendly, and they would come in and help/talk to me. I was wrong. In fact the only other person I even saw in my flat that day was Isaac, who came, and left for the rest of the day just as quickly.
The only sign I got that anyone else had even moved in was when Gazz and Rachel came downstairs and told me everyone was upstairs. Because I was in a first floor flat, I’d missed out on everyone meeting everyone. Therefore, my first tip would be:
1. Get there early. - But my second would be:
2. Walk around the building, meet people, help them move in. - Don’t bother unpacking your own stuff when you first get there. You can do that at any point over the next week. For the first day, it’s much more important to get to know everyone and introduce yourself to everyone as soon as they move in. Perhaps get to know them by helping them move in, and having tea and coffee set up in your flat already.
And:
3. Have a big party in your flat. - If you do as I say, and meet everyone when they move in, pitch the idea of a party in your flat that night to them all. This way, your flat will have the advantage over all the others as being the place where everyone meets to go out, and where everyone generally resides. This will mean you’ll be invited to all outings, and be involved in all extra-curricular activities.
Apart from tip two, the others are quite good. Tip four could do with being altered slightly. ‘Designate Cupboard Space’ The food issue is an incredibly touchy one. It will make and break friendships. Often you’ll find two people who seemed like they were the best of friends in the first two months, torn apart by something like this.
Many publications which claim to offer students advice tell us that we should ‘share’ food and ingredients for meals. Cooking a meal for two will cost less than double what cooking for one will. This isn’t a lie, it is cheaper, but what these people seem to have misunderstood, is that we don’t live in a sugar-coated fantasyland where this kind of thing is possible. My advice?
Take turns in buying communal stuff. Communal stuff = Butter, sugar, milk bread, washing up liquid, soap washing powder, fabric conditioner, toilet paper, tea coffee etc.
Split the cost of specialist items. Specialist items = specialist washing and cleaning products, household items, candles, posters, air freshener, a barbecue, things like that.
And each pay for your own food separately, Usually cook your own food separately, however it can be understood, if you’re gonna cook something, but you’ll have to much for you and you alone, offer a meal to someone else in return for one from them another day.
I wouldn’t advise being overly nice and cooking for people for free in the first few weeks/months, because certain people will naturally take advantage and try and get a free meal out of you most of the time. You’ll get sick of it and want to stop. But you might feel as though you cant. Or people will just think you were trying to bribe them into liking you by cooking for them.
Start off being honest and genuine, and continue, then no one can complain about you. They might not like who you are, but at least they don’t like who you’re not.
So you’ve gotten through the first day, you’re the dean of the building and everyone loves you. How can it possibly go wrong you ask? What else is there? Well there’s plenty.
Things to sort in the first week.
1. First big shop - Good idea to go out with a few of your new friends for your first big shop to fill up your cupboards. This gives you a chance to get to know each other more, to save on the 2-4-1 offers, and to find out what type of person everyone is. This WILL happen, and if you miss it, then you will miss out.
In the long term however it’s definitely a good idea to shop around, Supermarket, Corner shop, Market. Just to see where the best deals on the best products are. It’s worth spending one day in the first week traipsing round, researching what prices are for what, then you’ll save on everything the next three years.
2. Sort out the bills - Gas, Electricity, Water, Telephone (If you have one). If these utilities aren’t covered in your rent cheque, you need to phone the companies, find out who your supplier is, and get the bill put in your name.
Try and get each bill in everyone’s name. This way, if one person decides to move out and not answer their phone, they will still be legally responsible. If the company say they cannot put the bill in more than one person’s name, they are lying. They can, but just don’t want to.
Take one bill each, so one person will pat the Gaz bill, one will pat the Electric, and the other pay him/er back ASAP. That way all the money doesn’t come out of one account, smashing them through their overdraft. Also if you each have one bill to pay, it almost evens out anyway, so no one owes a lot of money.
What will happen if you don’t get the bills in your name? The company will keep sending the previous tenants bills. You wont be able to open the mail because that’s illegal. The company will send someone round to investigate when the bill hasn’t been paid in 7 months, and will lump you with a 7 month £500 Gas bill (Seriously, happened to me). Or even worse than that, they wont bother investigating and just cut you off, no questions asked.
3. Experience EVERYTHING - The first week (Fresher’s Week) is so called because that’s what it is. It is YOUR week, so take advantage. Find out all the events that are on, sieve the good from the crap, there’s an awful lot of crap. And enjoy it.
I don’t know what the events are like at Leeds University, but they MUST be a shit load better than those at Leeds Met. All that stuff on the Leeds Met Fresher’s week posters are all regular nights that are on anyway. So when I say experience it all, that stuff isn’t as important seeing as it applies to every week of the year. If you’re at Leeds Met instead try investigating which good Student Bars offer good Fresher’s nights/ Student deals (See Gazz’z Guide). Or go into Leeds University’s Student Union and see what events they have on. As long as you have an NUS card, (see Gazz’z Article (Whatever it’s called)) you can get into any night at Leeds Uni Stylus.
4. Work. - Work at University is very important. Even if your fees and accomadation are being paid for by your parents, students more often than not go into their overdraft. Getting a job will give you that £50 a week extra spending money which allows you to go out more than once a week, to buy a new pair of shoes every year, and to cave under every ridiculous Student fad you and your friends invent.
However, DO NOT get a job until January. If you get one before, you’ll miss out, miss out on everyone going out all the time, everyone getting to know each other, and you might be in danger of becoming an outsider. However in January when everyone else is using their second loan instalment to pay off credit card debt spent on Christmas presents, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve taxis, you wont have anyone to go out with anyway, so might as well get paid for it.
5. Overdraft! - It’s best to not get an overdraft, this way you wont spend it, wont go over it, and won’t have to pay £10 each week you’re over it. However it really does depend on; if you’re like me, and able to reserve your loan when you get it, able to plan and budget yourself, and then keep to the budget, overdrafts should bring no fear. If you do need to go into it, just to hold you over before you get your next loan instalment, it’s worth doing. BUT, if you’re like Gazz, and seem to able to spend money wherever you see it, an overdraft is NOT a good idea. It’s worth eating 9p noodles every meal for a week if it means your thumbs remains pleasantly rested on your hands.
And when the loan does come in, I strongly recommend creating a budget to work by. Work out how much money you have, how much time till your next instalment. Take out so much money to pay estimated bills, Christmas presents, and such. And create a weekly budget. For the first time you work it out, you can afford to spend a little more than your budget. AS long as you plan (And continue with the plan) to get a job, and save up that extra money spent in January.
Whatever budget you do create for yourself, either don’t follow it, or don’t even bother creating it until the first two weeks have passed. If you limit yourself during this time, you wont be able to go out with everyone else, and join in the Fresher’s fun. And as I’ve said before, getting the most out of university (Which includes the social side, whatever your grandmother says) is more important than financial matters (Especially in the first few months).
This, along with Gazz’z Miscellaneous things every fresher should know about Leeds, and the Guide of where to go in Leeds, is all you need for a wonderful first year in the city. After this I’m afraid you’re on your own (We’ll be advising the Freshers of next year). But follow our advice, and by that time you’ll already be fully fluent in the student language.
And if not, you can always email Gazz. (Not me)