How to make the most of your Freshers Week

As the start of university is approaching, many new students are excited about the new chapter in their life that is about to start. And the beginning of this new chapter starts with the infamous ‘Freshers Week’.

Freshers’ Week is basically the first week of university in which all the first-year students get used to being far away from home and living alone for the first time (most of them at least). This week includes a lot of partying, going out, making a lot of memories with new people, and just having fun. However as crazy as it sounds, going out every day and partying all night can get a bit repetitive. So how can you make the most of Freshers Week?

Being a third-year student and having already experienced Freshers Week, I would suggest keeping a balance. Since it is the first week of university all the societies will have their welcome fairs and their taster sessions. You can look for the different societies available at the welcome fair or online at UCL Students’ Union. If you want to start immediately getting involved in the department, I suggest the Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Society. There you will meet a lot of the senior students who can help you and give you tips on how to maximize your university experience. Also look out for the annual boat trip organized by the department in October (you’ll be emailed details). It is a great opportunity to socialise and its free.

Going to parties every night is fun, but also it will drain your energy after 2-3 consecutive days. I would suggest focusing also on travelling and going around London. A good place to look for places to see in London is Time Out London. There are many things to see around the city and best believe that you will enjoy. The city is amazing and there are many places for you and your friends to hang out and just relax while also experiencing the life in the big city. Don’t get me wrong, if you prefer to party and would rather do that over going around the city by all means go ahead, but I really doubt that you would want to miss out on the city. Of course, you can argue that you can visit the city during your studies but knowing that you have no assignments due or no lectures to go over maximizes the experience and lets you enjoy the city.

If you are totally a party person and do not care about anything else, then my suggestion would be to go to different places around London. There are many venues who host events just for Freshers Week and they have various activities to keep everyone busy and make sure that everyone is having fun. Also, since the last 2 years have been affected by COVID-19, there will be a lot of concerts going on during September – October period so have a look because your favorite artist may be performing, and this will be a chance for you to see them live. A good website to look out for different events you can attend is Ticketmaster or Songkick.

So, all in all make sure to include some variation during the week just to have fun. The definition of what fun can be up to you, but definitely do not miss out by staying inside!

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This blog was written by Elio, Biomedical Engineering