How to get out of your shell and become your best self as a fresher in Bristol

Congratulations to all those who received results on Thursday! And a huge warm welcome to the incoming Bristol students- we’re very excited to meet you.

Freshers can seem like an incredibly daunting experience: a new place, a new learning environment and social settings and, for most, the first time moving out of your childhood home. It’s perfectly normal to feel nervous before starting in September (we all were!), but this guide will hopefully help you turn that anxiety into confidence and excitement for a new era of your life.

Go out with your flatmates

The first people you’ll meet are your flatmates for the next year. The main piece of advice to give is to spend that first night going out with them all. If you’re lucky, they may just be your future best friends. Obviously, it goes without saying: try to avoid flatcest during freshers week to ensure you aren’t forced back into your shell after a two-week situationship. Instead, spend freshers getting to know your flatmates, be yourself and enjoy making new friends and expanding your social circle. If you are lucky, it’ll be like a slumber party every day for the rest of first year!

Sit next to people in welcome talks

A great way to expand your social circle even more in the first few days is to meet coursemates at welcome talks. Everyone will be in the same boat, and it’s a great way to bond over your shared degree and interests. This is a great way to push past social anxieties and meet like-minded people in a more natural way.

Join societies

Similar to your course friends, finding like-minded people can be very easy in societies. Whether you’re into sports, music or something you just want to try something new (perfect excuse for a Give-it-a-go session), societies are the best way to meet new people and have some fun doing it.

Take yourself on solo dates

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Time alone is also essential to becoming the best version of you. And what better excuse to spend time alone than a solo date in a new city waiting to be explored? Take yourself on a walk down Park Street, charity shop on Gloucester Road, enjoy some Pizzarova: the world, or more accurately Bristol- the best city in the world- is your oyster!

Throw yourself into the work

Now, we mustn’t forget about the real reason you are here: the degree itself. Whilst it sounds cliché, what better way to get to know yourself better than immersing yourself in something you are passionate about learning? Nerd out a bit and enjoy learning the thing you worked so hard to get to study. And a positive: there is literally nothing cooler than being an educated baddie x

Enjoy a night out

Whilst it is important to do your work and find what interests you within your degree, remember it doesn’t count this year. This means you can be so much more spontaneous with your time! So, go to the pub, head to OMG (for me, it was at least three times a week) and don’t hold back. You’ll miss this ability next year; cherish it.

Be you

The main piece of advice, evident through all these ways to become your best self in first year, is to actually just be yourself. Good friends will come to you, and truthfully, you will meet your lifelong friends just by being your true authentic self. Don’t be afraid to be unapologetically you; that’s the real blessing of finding yourself.

For many, these next three years are the greatest of your life. So, have fun, make friends, get absolutely p*ssed on a night out, maybe do your degree now and then and hopefully find yourself along the way.