hey so im nervous bc i'll still be 17 when entering my first year of uni (i won't turn 18 until next january). the idea of loud music, booze and sex gives me serious anxiety, especially bc most uni students will be older than me??? is partying a must-go thing in uni and how do i stay safe if i were to go partying during freshers week ;u;;
Partying is most DEFINITELY not a must-go to thing for uni. I myself actually avoided freshers week entirely c:
First thing i’d recommend is: accommodation. Choose wisely - I chose to be in a block with other girls initially, who turned out to be quite rowdy, very messy and all that jazz, and I did not feel safe at all. I was so anxious I refused to come out of my room unless I had to and I lose in excess of 6lbs in a week because I wouldn’t even come out to get food. But after that I moved to another set of accommodation, where the occupants are mostly MA and International students, so they’re generally quieter. So, yeah, do your research, and don’t be worried if said accommodation isn’t around people your age. You’ll meet people you like regardless of where you live. (This is my overall most important tip of Uni, because oh my god if you're not happy with where you’re living it just sucks so hardcore)
Second: Loud music, booze and sex. If you get annoyed by any of these (I’ve only heard the first two, NEVER the latter, but I guess it depends on your flatmates) you can call your RA and complain. It’s completely anonymous so you don’t have to worry about being called out. And i’m pretty sure they’re on 24 hour duty so you can literally call them at 3am and it’s a-ok.
Third: age. Lots of uni students don’t go when they’re 18! A lot take a gap year, and a lot have actually taken resit years at A-level or whatnot so everyones really in the same boat with that. And most of the time you can’t really tell if someones older than you or not (it took me like 6 months to realise Michaela was older and Lindsay was younger).
Finally: partying. Don’t wanna go? Don’t go. Literally no-one will judge you for not going. Like seriously, I don’t drink alcohol at all and the most i’ve had is “You don’t drink? cool”. As for staying safe, the usual rules would apply for going out - always keep an eye on your drink, never go alone (first night out you’ll probably just be with a group of your flatmates, and even if you don’t know each other that well they’re still people you know), don’t take /too/ much cash. Considering your age you probably won’t be allowed into most of the bars/clubs anyway, but if you do, just don’t get off your face. Drink responsibly :)