Hide the trebs: A beginner’s guide to spotting a wild Newcastle fresher in the Toon

It’s mid August which can only mean one thing – Freshers’ Week is near. To understand how to spot a fresher out there in the wild, we must first learn what a fresher actually is. On surface level, this term is used to describe someone in their first year of university, however, digging a bit below the surface we can see that being a fresher feels almost a completely new mindset.

It’s that part in life where you aren’t exactly a fully fledged university student, but you’re a far different person from the one that packed up the car and left home in September. A turbulent time in life, spent dwindling away that student loan and eating pasta religiously. But as older students (or even as a fresher yourself), how easy is it to spot freshers out in the wild? Here’s a one stop guide to spotting a Newcastle University fresher in 2025.

How to spot a fresher

Most importantly, a fresher is never spotted alone. They tend to travel in packs, herding together to run for the front-most place in the queue for Market Shaker, or whatever event is being held on that day. But how can you be sure you’re looking at a group of freshers? There’s always key people in these groups to look out for: The drunk one who forgot their limits (usually being held up by either side by their unhappy designated babysitters for the night).

These are usually found at the bar quizzing staff on all the student deals they offer, flashing their student cards.

Then you have the two (usually flatmates) necking on, most likely slap bang in the middle of a club surrounded by their mates dancing.

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Lastly, and most notably, are the “models” – a.k.a. the photo addict. Whether it’s a neon sign in a club, a big mirror for everyone to huddle in, or perhaps the more famous student halls corridor (the perfect backdrop for any photo before a night out), you can be sure there’s a phone out and multiple people arguing “flash” or “no flash”.

Thinking like a fresher

To know who’s a fresher, you must first think like a fresher. Where do they go? What do they wear? Is there really such a difference between freshers and the rest of us? To start, you won’t find one in Jesmond (the sacred holy land for the second years and above); they usually swarm around places like Market Shaker or Digi.

Weekdays will become their new weekends because who actually goes to that 9am they have when they’re in first year? Any event with a wristband seems to attract them like a magnet. Look at those fresher bands which probably took a couple week to finally get pried from their wrists. You can be sure that if it’s on FIXR for less than a tenner, they’ll be turning up in droves.

First year is when we all try out new things with our looks: You had the mullet craze and girls putting beads and butterfly clips in their hair with every outfit. You’ll often find these freshers looting vintage shops or Urban Outfitters (their fashion Mecca), spending what’s left of their student loan on garments which will get them a lot of “where did you get your top from babe xx” in their comments.

It’s quite funny looking at the Newcastle freshers’ fashion, as students seem to go down similar routes. There always seems to be the quintessential cargo (especially baggy) pants, one designer top which gets worn on 90 per cent of the nights out (shout out to you boys on that one), eyebrow slits and the holy nose ring. If you didn’t have a piece of metal protruding from your nose before you came to university, you’ll certainly come out in your third year with one. Fashion accessories may change, but the staples stay the same and are the first tell of a 2025 Newcastle University fresher.