The ultimate Uni of York guide: New year, new advice

Whether you’re arriving at the University of York for the very first time or returning to campus after a summer away, September seems to make everyone feel like a fresher again. You may be moving into your first flat with strangers from across the country, or settling into the house you’re renting with your friends, being away from home can still be nerve-wracking.

Moving away from home for the first time is weird

Suddenly, no one is going to remind you to take your washing out of the machine. Nobody is going to ask whether you’ve eaten. Nobody is going to magically replace the toilet roll. It can be exciting to have independence but also makes you feel lonely if you have to be fully responsible for yourself. 

Don’t feel embarrassed if you want to go home for a weekend, being an adult doesn’t mean you need to pretend you don’t miss your family. While you are in York, there are plenty of people there to help you settle in. Colleges provide social spaces, activities and support, while STYMs and STYCs can help new students navigate the first year.

The York coffee and brunch guide

My advice? Don’t just go to the same place every time. Make a list of cafes you want to try and work your way through them over the year. You have at least three years of university and that’s a lot of coffee to consume.

Some top picks are: Rise (Fossgate), Brew and Brownie (Museum Street), Partisan (Micklegate), Le Specialty (Fossgate), Kynd (Clifford Street), Black Sheep (High Ousegate). These are all places that are in the city centre and therefore easy to walk to from campus or from your accom. Perfect for a pick-me-up during the week or exploring town on the weekends. 

Date night: When Wetherspoons isn’t quite the vibe

York is actually a pretty good city for this. For a meal out with something Italian and slightly more dressed-up, Lucia restaurant is right in the city centre and has the perfect ambiance for talking over a bowl of pasta and sharing a bottle of wine. 

Dusk has 2-for-1 cocktail deals at very good prices for students. This is a slick way to share a round of drinks that doesn’t break the bank or the flow of conversation. 

For a more casual time together, the Shambles have lots of stalls with independent businesses and food stalls which offer unique yet cheap day out. 

Girls’ nights in are underrated

Not every social event needs to involve a cocktail and losing your friends in a nightclub. Sometimes the best night is everyone getting into comfy clothes, sharing food and talking for hours in the living room.

Get your flatmates together, put on a film, do face masks, bake something that looks significantly better on Pinterest than it does in real life, have a PowerPoint night, or simply sit around talking until someone looks at the time and realises it’s 2am.

University can put a lot of pressure on you to constantly be ‘doing something’. A girls night in is still doing something. This way your bank account will thank you too.

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The nightlife starter pack

Everyone will eventually have their own preferences to what clubs they have the best night at. Some people will swear by one venue while their friends refuse to go there ever again. 

For a classic student night with Pop music and sometimes free entry, Flares is one of the key places to go. For an Indie inspired playlist in a vibey underground cave-like atmosphere, the club of Ziggy’s is the best choice for a Tuesday night party. Every Wednesday is dominated by society socials packed into Salvos with DJ Jason Riley in control of the music. It’s definitely a popular option as most students at York will attend a Wednesday Salvos at least once in their time at uni. 

The important thing is not to feel like there is a single “correct” club. Try different places, work out what you actually like, and remember that the best night out is wherever the music is best and your friends are there.

Where to study on campus when you actually need to work

At some point, the honeymoon period ends and the deadlines arrive. This is when you discover that your bedroom is not, in fact, an ideal study environment. 

The University of York Library has more than 1,500 individual and group study spaces, with different areas designed for different styles of working. The Burton and the third floor of the Morrell are silent zones (no talking) , while the lower floors of the Morrell are quiet zones (minimal talking). If you need a little more background noise, the Fairhurst library also has studious buzz zones for group work and conversation.

This is something Freshers should learn early: Some people need absolute quiet, whereas some people work better with background noise. Find what works for you.

You don’t have to find your best friends immediately

You don’t need to find your people in the first 48 hours. Yes, you will find people in your accommodation, your course or your society. You might drift away from people you were inseparable from during the first few weeks, that’s normal. Don’t think that there’s something wrong with you if you naturally lose touch with people, everyone settles into who they really get along with in time.

York has more than 200 societies and more than 65 sports clubs, meaning your first few weeks are nowhere near your only opportunity to meet people. Don’t put a deadline on finding your friendship group.

For returners, don’t get too stressed. The people you spoke too the year previous have drifted a bit over summer. This is natural and expected when you’ve only known each other for a short amount of time. Be the first to message or meet up to catch up and reconnect with the people you want around you this year. 

Returners: Don’t sleepwalk through another year

For second and third years, you already know where everything is. You know which supermarket is closest, you know the bus routes, who your friends are and what clubs you love. These things are all familiar and that doesn’t mean you can’t try new things too.

Make a bucket list of things you want to do this year: Join a society you’ve never tried, go to a college event, explore somewhere new in York, try a new cafe, talk to someone on your course who you’ve never spoken to, take your family somewhere nice when they visit. Soak in every opportunity while you’re at uni, it doesn’t just stop with your degree!