Trebs, Greggs and hogging library seats: Here’s what each uni needs to give up for lent

It’s that time of year when rotting in bed with a family size bag of Mini Eggs is officially a festive activity, and the idea of wolfing down chocolate at any second of the day seems totally reasonable because after all, it’s almost Easter.

It’s not easy being a student during the spring semester, and with looming dissertation deadlines and exam season on the horizon, nothing seems more appealing than curling up into a ball with some chocolate and ignoring the world.

It forces you to reflect on some of your most horrific habits, all while climbing over the mountain of dirty plates you’ve got on your bedroom floor and ignoring that pile of washing you were planning on taking home two months ago.

There’s no better time than Lent to think about sacrificing those daily £5 matcha lattes, or start actually walking to your lectures every week, just like you said you would.

You’ve got the chance to spend a glorious 40 days and 40 nights feeling smug after ditching your caffeine addiction and avoiding the 12pm rush in the campus Greggs’ queue. Make the most of it. Here’s everything students from almost every Russell Group university in the country desperately need to give up for Lent this year – and we’re not going easy on you either.

University of Birmingham

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Attention Birmingham students! Posting photos of Old Joe on your Story every time you see it is sadly not the move for the next 40 days and 40 nights. Especially after first semester. We get that it might be a cultural icon on campus, but it’s time to let go of those aesthetic sunset photos and start documenting something else instead. Use Lent as your sign as Brum University students to add some variety to your Stories.

University of Bristol

Now, we’re not trying to state the obvious here, but what should you all stop doing over in Bristol? Forgetting your cash for Jason Donervan. Think about all the time you’ve wasted scrambling for some change just to get a tray of cheesy chips in your hand. You’re letting yourself down.

Even if you told yourself you’d refrain from getting a greasy doner after Fishies from now on, you’re not fooling anyone. Suck up the fact you’ll inevitably stumble over to Jason’s, determined to cure those cravings, and stick a fiver in your pocket next time. It’s a habit we can all get on board with.

University of Cambridge

You might be spending your Easter break at home this year, but that doesn’t mean you can skip sacrificing something for Lent – and it also doesn’t give you an excuse to wear your college puffer in your local village. Rumour has it, wearing your college puffer after Freshers’ Week is bad enough, but when you’re at home? Give it a rest, and don’t be an ick.

We don’t all need to know that you’re a Cambridge undergrad, sorry not sorry.

University of Cardiff

Hey Cardiff students, do you think it’s about time you let go of your obsession with VKs for a little while? Although they might be a staple of a YOLO night out, that sugary blue goodness can’t be doing you much good the day after. 40 days being VK-free is definitely an achievement of sorts.

Durham University

Buying things from Billy B. Seriously. Give it up.

Nobody in their right mind can afford to splash that much money on a coffee and a sweet treat every time they step into the Bill Bryson. Yes, it might fuel your delusional thoughts that pulling an overnighter to get that dissertation prep finished is a good idea, but your bank account is crying out for a break. Please let it go, and maybe giving up the Billy B for Lent will persuade you to pack yourself some lunch and a coffee to go for the rest of the semester.

University of Edinburgh

Ah, Pollock boys. It may be part and parcel of the Edinburgh lifestyle to have a disastrous encounter with someone living in Pollock Halls, but it’s time to reclaim your freedom and let go of the posh quarter zips and southern accents for Lent this year. No doubt you know at least 15 people that have been personally victimised by their own Pollock boy, so try your best to avoid jumping on that bandwagon for the foreseeable.

University of Exeter

Look, your dwindling dreams of trying to get a TimePiece ticket are gone, okay? They’re completely gone. Since the beginning of time – or Freshers’ Week – you’ve been getting scammed on Overheard week in week out, and nobody wants to see you in that desperate state ever again.

You can beg your course mates to secure you a spot all you like, but TP will not be seeing you that night, and probably not for the foreseeable future either. It’s time to mature a little bit, and give up trying. Don’t even think about EGB’s either, just pack it in all together.

University of Glasgow

Have you got any idea what students at Glasgow University should be giving up for Lent this year? Probably using AI to do all of your assignments. We challenge you to spend 40 days away from ChatGPT and actually use your brain to write up that essay you’ve been procrastinating.

King’s College London

It’s time to give up trying to find a seat in any study space on the Strand campus, sorry KCL students. Whether it’s at Chapters, Somerset House, or the Maughan Library, finding a seat is a near impossible task.

You’ll either have to hover awkwardly, ready to pounce at the first sign of movement, or accept defeat and sit on the floor. It’s no good for your dignity, so maybe it’s time to let it go and find a coffee shop to sit in instead. It’s all for the greater good.

University of Leeds

Do you remember the last time you did an Otley Run dressed as Claudia Winkleman? Do you remember the £400 you managed to spend at the same time? Yeah, we’re sorry Leeds students, but maybe it’s time to sacrifice your pride and stop splashing the maintenance loan on rounds of shots in the Old Oak just to impress everyone.

Lent is a time for ditching bad habits, so it feels quite fitting to start prioritising your bank account over booking an Uber from The Library to Dry Dock.

University of Liverpool

Learning to say no certainly isn’t an easy feat, but when it comes to standing in the Gregg’s queue on Mount Pleasant at 12pm every day, you need to do better. You know full well that you’re part of the problem when it comes to the post-lecture lunchtime rush, but it’s time to ditch the sausage rolls and start saving a bit of change to take out on a Raz Monday.

Yes, it might be tempting when you’re looking through the infamous archway and you can smell the steak bakes from your seminar room, but giving up the beige-ness for a couple days is sure to do you a bit of good. Think about all the pints in The Sphinx you could have instead. Tempting, right?

University of Manchester

We admire your determination for thinking you can easily catch a 143 bus that doesn’t have “sorry, bus full” emblazoned on the front of it. You’re probably quite swift with your student loan by refusing to book an Uber back to Fallowfield, but when it’s pouring it down at 3am and every Stagecoach is absolutely packed, it might be time to start reconsidering your life choices.

Letting go of the fact you’re inevitably about to spend £20 on a taxi is no easy feat, but do it for your mental state. Nobody wants to be crammed on the 143 after a night at 251. Give it up. It’s okay, we support you.

Newcastle University

Any night that starts off with three for £9 trebs in Market Shaker is destined to be a good one, but when you’re rolling into Jesmond at 5am with no bank cards, bag or dignity, take it as a sign to go on a bit of a detox. You can better yourself as a student over Lent, so make the most of it and stick to a quiet night in instead. Plus, giving up the crippling hangxiety for a month and a bit will be a blessing to your housemates, as well as you. Those post-treb debriefs are never positive.

University of Nottingham

It’s time to give up convincing yourself that Hallwood library is better than George Green. End of. Unless you’re a long term fan of grey brutalist concrete, it’s obvious that George Green is miles better, because who doesn’t find the beauty of the modern glass appealing?

If you ignore the fact it’s full of STEM students, those bright open floors are enough to make anyone want to pull an all nighter in there. Being Hallwo0d’s number one fan isn’t the flex you think it is, so let go and grow up.

University of Oxford

Oxford students, you may be brave thinking you can avoid the student housing camp out every year, but it might be time to let that determination go. Waiting outside the letting agencies at 2am may well be your last and only resort, so don’t try and rise above it. You’re all in the same boat.

University of Sheffield

There’s no need to convince yourself that climbing the hills around campus is easy anymore. Back in the day, you might have been a naive little fresher that happily logged your strolls on Strava every day, but as the old age starts to hit and you need to stop halfway through your trek for a break, it might be time to drop the Hyrox mindset. Sheffield University students – give yourself a break this Lent.

University of Warwick

Hey Warwick STEM students, stop hogging seats in the FAB! If there’s anything you should give up for Lent at university this year, and probably for the rest of your time at university, it’s invading the only safe space arts students have on campus. They fought for their right to their own building, so go easy on them and clear out of it. We heard the library is perfectly fine – go and give that a go and leave everyone else in peace.

University of York

Out of all the universities, Lent should be the time that York whips itself back into shape. Okay, we get that Long Boi was the best cultural icon to ever come out of a university campus, but as much as we love the tributes, it might be time to let go. It’s only for 40 days – you can easily stop pointing at every duck on campus and claiming that it’s Long Boi’s distant relative. We miss him too, don’t get us wrong, but putting a stop to the mourning might do you some good.