From the time year 12 starts, all that college students tend to hear about is the craziness of freshers’ week, what they are told will be ‘the best week of their lives’. However, is it really all it’s cracked up to be – or is this just another example of media hyperbole? What about the other side of freshers’, for those who don’t enjoy its madness at all?
For many new students freshers’ week is in fact a week of tears, homesickness and sleepless nights. One new Physics student admitted to me privately: “I honestly felt like a freak because I just wasn’t having fun when I knew I was supposed to be. I was so terrified of starting the course that I couldn’t even pretend to be interested in going out. I spent most of the week crying in my accommodation.” Anxiety about starting university courses is certainly a massive issue that not many seem to be willing to talk about. Knowing you’re about to dedicate several years of your life at £3000 a term to one subject can be pretty daunting – especially if you’re worried about being able to cope. I for one can admit I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle the workload that freshers’ week seemed more like a countdown than a celebration.
It wasn’t until the induction tasks started and I was getting on with my work-load when I began to have fun and felt more confident in going out.
Another homesick first year confessed to me: “Freshers’ was awful. I didn’t have any fun. I just missed home so much and it stopped me from properly making friends – I even rang my Mum and asked if she’d pick me up two days in. I don’t feel like I actually settled in till the course started.”
This view of freshers’ week is definitely common. Taking into account that many freshers are teenagers who’ve suddenly moved away from home for the first time to another part of the country, it’s easy to see why their first week away isn’t the highlight of their life. Although there is seemingly a hivemind of students saying, “Let’s go out every night!”, the fact is that not everyone would want to do this when in the comfort of their own home – let alone in a brand new town.
Meanwhile, for students who may be shy or introverted, freshers’ week can be incredibly tough. Living with a brand new bunch of people you’ve never met before is worrying enough, but for students who aren’t particularly outgoing making friends can be extremely hard. Many people would say: “You just have to fake it to make it.” But can this really be expected of new students?
To put it bluntly, it’s about time students heard that freshers’ week isn’t the be all end all of the university experience.
You are not a freak if you don’t enjoy it. You do not have to drink to have a good time. Nobody is judging you if you miss home or get upset. Whilst it is very true that freshers week should be a time for fun and settling in – people shouldn’t just hear the side of partying and going wild. More emphasis should be put on how an individual can make the most of their own time.
As we reach the half way point of the first term, most first year students seem to have finally found their feet and settled into their new home. Whether they have loved it from the start, or have only just started to enjoy themselves – here’s to their future at York.