Brum undergrads tell us their health horror stories

Freshers’ Week can mean fresher’s flu if you’re really unlucky. But there are worse illnesses to catch than a cold – Brum undergrads told us about their worst experiences. 

Second year Classics student Katie O’Rourke said: “Loads of my best friends ended up getting tonsillitis after fresher’s week, and when you’re living in such close proximity to everyone who has it, it’s inevitable that you’ll end up with it too!

“Unfortunately for me, mine seemed worse than everyone else, and I ended up going home for 2 weeks to help me recover properly.”

Katie was not very happy

Conjunctivitis also appeared to be a fairly common illness in fresher’s week.

Swollen eyes are a symptom of conjunctivis

Suzanne Stone, second year said: “I ended up having it in both eyes and they were just constantly full of shit. I’d have to peel my eyes open in the morning cos they were all crusty and they just generally looked grim! It was really really bad on a day where I went home to see my grandparents- I was hungover as well but my dad said ‘you look absolutely fucked’ and apparently my grandma was generally concerned about my health because I looked that shit.”

However, there had been other health scares in the past too – an email was sent to current third year Abigail Perrott regarding an outbreak of scabies in her first year halls:

You need to try and avoid things like this

Here are some handy tips on minimising the risk of becoming ill:

• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
• Try to eat as healthily as possible.
• Don’t force yourself to go out if you are not feeling up to it – there will always be plenty of opportunities to go out in the future.
• And finally, University isn’t just about alcohol and partying! There are other ways to enjoy yourselves, like getting involved with societies and using your study time effectively.