When I first came to university, I was aware that the stereotypical ‘fresher’ was not synonymous with the kind of people I wanted to be friends with. To me it seemed freshers were childish and immature. When I arrived, I found this to be true in a lot of cases.
People had hyped up this week of their lives so much that they just exploded with all this new found possibility and freedom. I don’t know anyone who’s fresher’s lived up to the hype. I do, however, know a lot of people who had a good fresher’s.
I think what you need to know is that everybody has different expectations of fresher’s week and university in general.
Doing what you want to do in fresher’s week is acceptable, even if it seems different to what is expected of you, even if it’s not what everyone in your flat is doing.
I know you are desperate to make friends, but don’t attach yourself to the first people you meet in fresher’s. Maybe they will turn out to be lifelong friends, maybe they won’t. Either way you shouldn’t push aside going to what you want to do for what this new ‘group’ wants to do.
By spending the time to meet different people from different places during fresher’s you will widen your array of friends greatly.
Which will come in handy when nobody in your flat is up for a night out (or a takeaway).
Images: UCLU Photosoc