Chris Green’s Do’s & Don’ts of First Year

Well done, you’ve made it through GCSEs and A-Levels and landed yourself at University, and a mighty fine one at that. In the best college, obviously, which helps.

First off, I better introduce myself; Hi, I’m Chris and I’m one of the three Assistant Deans of the college, along with Patrick Somervell and James (Jim) Balfour – I’m sure they will introduce themselves to you at some point. “What is an Assistant Dean?” I hear you ask (or not). Well, we’re essentially the fun police, making sure you don’t do anything remotely
enjoyable. Only joking, but we do have the power to discipline people if it is really necessary. However, realistically we would rather it didn’t get to that point; we’re here for your safety and to make sure you have a great time.

Enough of the formalities, I’m sure you will get to know all of these things in due time, what this piece is really about is the “Do’s and Don’ts of first year” or “of Freshers”, whichever takes your fancy.

Everyone that goes through University has been in your shoes, fresh from A-Levels and raring to become a fully-fledged adult; but first, and more importantly of course, Freshers Week. So what is a sensible idea and what is a stupid idea? One way is to find out is to do it, however perhaps a sensible idea is to listen to some advice from someone who was “been there, done that”, so I’m going to be giving a little guidance, feel free to take it or leave it.

Do: Enjoy Freshers Week, it is an incredible experience! Make sure you make the most of it, you’re only going to get one of them.

Don’t: Do something ridiculously stupid in Freshers Week. I’m not going to insult your
intelligence by giving a criterion of stupid, just don’t be “that guy”, people generally have surprisingly good memories. What goes on in Freshers Week, likely doesn’t stay in Freshers Week.

Do: Leave your door open on arrivals weekend. Don’t be afraid to meet new people, they don’t bite. Unless they’re Luis Suarez.

Don’t: Do all of your food shopping in the campus Spar, you (and your bank account) will soon regret it. Although you do get the odd “Spargain” (yes, this is a real word in
Lancaster).

Do: Look after yourself, mentally and physically. Fresher weight is real, it is no myth. People have been known to gain copious amounts of weight in first year, not that there’s anything wrong with that, just look after yourself.

Don’t: Be reckless with your money, do make a budget and stick to it.

Do: Drink lots of water when you get back from a night out, also eating helps. You can thank me later.

Don’t: If avoidable, don’t get into arguments with your flatmates. It can make cooking in the kitchen rather awkward.

Do: Join a society and/or sports team. You can do some wonderful things at Uni, things that you may never be able to do again. So take advantage of the opportunities presented before you; there are plenty of sports teams and societies that will be happy to have you as a member.

Don’t: Follow the “you just need 40%” philosophy. Some people say you just need 40% to pass first year, this may be true but achieving such a grade may come back to bite you on the backside one day, especially when seeking employment.

Do: Go to your lectures and seminars. You may regret it if you don’t – plus it makes exam
season much more of a breeze.

Don’t: Buy all of the text books unless you’re 100% sure you need them, unless you want to sell your internal organs to fund such a purchase.

Do: Buy a purple card. It’s only a tenner and it can potentially save you far more than a
tenner, simples.

Don’t: Assume University is easy. I hate to inform you but second and third year are far harder than first year, so enjoy first year while it lasts, it flies by!

Do: Thank your reps and JCR for Freshers Week. I know from experience that it can be a tiring process making sure you have an amazing time, so don’t take them for granted!

Don’t: Leave your coursework to the last minute. Doing an all-nighter to get that highly sought after 2:1 isn’t fun. Red Bull will only take you so far.

The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself. Striking a balance between working hard and playing hard is key. Enjoy your welcome week and I look forward to seeing you around.

Things You Hear as a Fresher… and What They Actually Mean

by Tom Williams

FRESHER’S WEEK:
“It’s Freshers’ Week, just down it!” – If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. If you’re keen, go for it. Simple.

All students drink – They don’t. If you drink a lot, a little, or not at all you can still have fun and settle in.

Fresher’s flu – It’s not nice, especially when you’re in a 200-person lecture. But not everyone gets it.

We have a big sports rivarly with Lonsdale – Mainly at Founders. Other than that, you won’t be ostracised for speaking to someone in Lonnie.

UNI LIFE:
It can be tough settling in – You may not like everyone but there will be something for you here (try the football team, I hear they have really good banter, especially the C team).

Join societies – This one’s actually true; do. Sports, Harry Potter, politics, whatever you like you’ll find it (or just set it up)!

Students only eat pot noodles – Cooking for yourself is pretty easy, and I’m the worst cook ever. Order stuff online (ASDA is popular) and Google a recipe, or chuck it all in a stir fry,
depending on your prowess. You can always get a meal card like I did first term.

Locals and UCUM students won’t like you – You can mix with the folk of Lancaster at a charming little venue called Hustle. As for the other unis; they’re jealous.

UNI WORK:
Lecture attendance is mandatory – Yes. Absolutely. Every student attends every lecture. Everything you’ve seen or read to the contrary is anti-student propaganda. Unless it’s
before 3PM (4PM if you’ve been out).

You’d better like your course – I didn’t, I changed at the end of first year. It’s really easy and definitely a positive about Lancaster.

Work is totally independent – Admittedly, it’s different from school and sixth form but there’s support if you want it.

Reading list – I barely opened my books and they weren’t cheap. Look for second-hand
bargains. Plus the library system has a massive amount of material.

“Required reading” – Skimming will save you a lot of time and use indexes. There’s enough relevant stuff to get through without all the rest of it.

“First year doesn’t matter.” – I probably should advise against listening to this but you will tell yourself that at least once this year.