Everything you learn during your first semester in Liverpool as a fresher

When you come to Liverpool in September, it definitely takes a while to find your feet and every day you are coming across new challenges. Whether you’re navigating yourself around campus or navigating yourself around LEVEL, the lessons you learn during your first semester are vital in truly enjoying the rest of your degree in this glorious city – it’ a learning curve to say the least.

Every night needs to end with a takeaway

It may seem obvious to anybody that as soon as you manage to drag yourself out the club, the first place you’re headed to isn’t the safety and warmth of your bed. But it’s actually to the safety and warmth of your local takeaway. Being in Liverpool it’s not even worth questioning whether or not you’re going to get a take away – the answer is always yes. You need something to warm you up on your walk back from concert square and who could possibly say no to a cheap scouse pop corn chicken and chips meal deal?

Everyone you added on Facebook on in freshers week are people you’ll probably never speak to ever again

It sounds harsh but it’s true. Besides flat mates and the odd person you meet on your course, the likelihood of talking to any of the 50 people you add on social media in the first week is at a big fat zero. They might seem like they’ll be your friends for life when you’re drunkenly dancing on the tables together at bongo’s bingo, but in reality you won’t remember them in the morning – if you do it’ll be incredibly awkward when they don’t remember you.

The SJ library is very big, very scary and not very ideal to do work in

I appreciate how big and versatile it is. I also appreciate how it’s ALWAYS open. I even appreciate how close it is. But I do not appreciate how impossibly difficult it is to do work in there. I mean it’s great and everything but it’s incredibly hot – there’s no need for it and it’s always busy. The printers keep breaking and it’s just a bit of a recurring nightmare to be honest. Personally, it’s more comforting to do your work wrapped up in a duvet, in the comfort of your own room where the temperature regulation is a lot better.

VITAL is nearly as unreliable as the printers in the SJ

The printers in the SJ crash a lot. And guess what else also crashes a lot? VITAL. It’s incredibly inconvenient when you’re trying to submit work on deadline day and the system is down for maintenance. Maintenance never happens at a more logical time like in the early hours in the morning when no one is using it – it’s always during the day when you need it. It also took me a good four weeks to understand how to use VITAL properly which is great for a fresher who has no idea what’s going on at the best of times.

It’s easier to find a cheaper pint up North

There will always be pubs and clubs that charge you £4 for a small bottle of Carlsberg but at least it’s not a regular occurrence in the North. Generally funding your student alcoholism is pretty easy on nights out and won’t cost you too much. Especially with all the student-orientated pubs that offer student friendly prices, you can’t go wrong.

“we all have maxed out our overdraft, but this pint is just covered”

The supermarkets near uni halls are a rip off and what they didn’t tell you was that there’s a Lidl on North campus

From Philharmonic to Crown to Vine and all other campus halls of residence, the choice of supermarkets is wildly unvaried. Take your pick from Tesco Express (expensive) to Co-op (expensive even with that 10% NUS Discount. Big up.) but you won’t want to do a fortnightly shop here. You’re much better off going to the Lidl by the School of Dentistry (there’s also a B&M Bargains – get in!). I mean it’s a trek but at least you can spend £20 quid there and it’ll last you for over two weeks.

There are more clubs besides Level

Who’d have thought that? But at the start of term it seemed to be the go to place even if you hated it. By second semester Level will seem a thing of the past as by now you will have definitely built up you Liverpool club knowledge. Heebies and the Raz will most certainly be your go to places by the second semester.

paint parties are a thing of the past

Speaking of Heebies and The Raz…

Uni life isn’t the cheapest and most first years will definitely struggle with keeping a track on whether they may or may not have drifted into their overdraft. It’s still possible to have a cheap night (the Raz or Heebies) but things do add up with the cost of uni accommodation, the food shop, trips home, trips to see friends in other cities, housing deposits for next year, textbooks and everything else the uni experience offers. I mean it’s great but I am most definitely skint.

There you have it, I’m sure second semester will prove to be as much of a learning curve but we’ve got so many things to look forward to and these problems don’t seem to be as scary as they could have been. Bring. It. On.