A Welcome Week social of two anti-elitism societies was interrupted by a group of unidentified individuals and had to be shut down after one of the hosts of the meeting received a threatening message. The ‘93% Club Edinburgh’ was set up earlier this year to promote access and opportunity for state-educated students at the University […]
The social distancing rules at the John McIntyre Conference Centre (JMCC), the cafeteria at Pollock Halls, have been further tightened to prevent students eating together. Outdoor seating has been removed, and there is no longer a take-away option. This means they must eat alone at a randomly allocated table, two metres away from any other […]
Welcome Week is an incredible opportunity for new students to get involved in university affairs, socialise with fellow students, and settle into their new home. However, this process seems to be largely lubricated by the continuous flow of alcohol that runs through the core of Welcome Week. Thus students who do not drink for religious, […]
Freshers’ Week can seem incredibly daunting, going from being the top of the school to the bottom of the pecking order. This is a letter to my fresher self, with advice and tips from people who have been there and come out the other side! Hey there, fresher. You’re probably incredibly nervous about moving into […]
This week nearly 7000 new students will arrive in Edinburgh to begin their degree at one of Britain’s oldest universities. In doing so, they will be following in the footsteps of thousands of others who have gone before them, including Charles Darwin, J.M. Barrie and three former Prime Ministers. Among the notable alumni who have […]
In school, we are told to avoid all the drugs all the time. We are shown propaganda campaigns that don’t align with reality and therefore lose any potential integrity. Such campaigns lead to the mindset so prevalent in politics and culture today that blames individuals, while addiction and other harmful outcomes remain serious public health […]
Let’s set the scene: Freshers’ Week 2014, Teviot Loft Bar, a pub quiz organised by the Philosophy Society. Amidst a rabble of eager students figuring out how to spell Kierkegaard, one fresher takes a selfie with the peer sharing her armchair. “I need to send my mum a picture of us to show her I’ve […]
or an unrivalled experience of socialising, giving students the chance to meet an immensely broad cross section of people. For a few weeks, students are faced with seemingly suspiciously high levels of interaction; everyone seems to want to know each other. Yet, cynicism should be cast aside. “What’s your name, where you from, what you […]