How to survive freshers when you don't care about partying
Let's be fair, you're terrified. Everyone you know is pumped to start uni simply because they can't wait to get trashed and make new friends that they won't remember the name of in the morning. They're looking to blow their student loan in a week and then joke about it for the rest of the semester whilst they live off packet noodles twice a day. Surprisingly, that doesn't sound like your cup of tea - and I don't blame you, it wasn't mine either.
((Don't get me wrong here guys, I have nothing against people who want to drink constantly and go out clubbing and experience freshers that way!! Everyone has their own preferences and I totally appreciate that!))
For whatever reason you don't fancy the whole 'freshers' experience, I've got a few bits of advice to help you cope. The worst thing to do when going into freshers is to think that everyone is going to be massively into partying and will start drinking at 9am. Obviously, there will be some people like that, but you exist right? And other people like you exist too. The hardest thing is finding those people, and this is because the expectation of freshers week/month drives people like me and you into hiding through fear of being peer-pressured into something we don't want to do. Fortunately, if your uni is anything like mine, the student union will be aware that not everyone likes drinking and so will have some fun activities in the day time that you can go along to. For me, these were anything from a tour around the city, to a Harry Potter marathon, to a zombie run in the park. Admittedly, I didn't go to many of these, but the ones I did go to were amazing fun and it was good to get out of my room in halls.
Another, maybe more obvious way to meet people is in your halls! If you're living in halls for your first year, which many people do, you'll be surrounded by other people in your exact same situation - they don't know anyone either. You may be extremely lucky in who you have in your flat, or you might not. Either way, being surrounded by a load of other first years is more often a blessing than a curse. Although do be prepared for some 3am fire alarms (I had 5 nights in a row of someone maliciously setting off the alarm in my block - I was ready to commit murder ngl).
As much as freshers is about meeting potential friends, it's also about getting prepared to start lectures and actually see what you've signed yourself up for. The likelihood is that you'll have a few induction talks, library tours, that kind of thing. Now you will be tempted not to go to these, but I met my best friend (who I'm living with next year) on a tour of the learning commons so don't count it out! You'll get to meet people on your course, and there'll be something to start a conversation with, whether it's the crap weather or the fact that you had to get out of bed too early to get to this stupid tour. Plus you get the added benefit of learning more about your uni and course!
Hopefully these little bits of advice have helped some of you out, and maybe made you feel less scared about the impending freshers season. Don't forget there are tens of thousands of people in the same boat as you, you'll meet your people eventually!! Good luck with your first year at uni flowers~~
