Mistakes every UoB fresher will make

It’s that time of year where freshers will be going out in Birmingham for the first time, and there in for a busy week. From attending the wrong events to choosing to live in Maple Bank, here’s the biggest regrets they’ll have by the end of the year.

Not taking advantage of the free stuff from the Freshers’ Fair

Grab as many free items as you can when attending the fresher’s fair. You will be thankful you took that free pen when you realised you forgot to bring any pens to uni in your first lecture.

Setting off the fire alarm in your halls at 3am

Everyone in the Vale will hate you. Do not cook drunk.

Attending every single freshers’ fest event (PLUS’16)

As a fresher, it is understandable that you don’t want to miss out on any of the ten freshers’ events. Freshers’ Week has a reputation of being one of best of your life and, don’t get me wrong, it is incredibly fun.  But going to all ten events will leave you poor and ill. Trust me, you will go to Snobs plenty of times during your first year, so maybe, stick to the nights where you get to go in fancy dress. Bring on all the emergency services, circus party and animal kingdom costumes.

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Ignoring all the non-drinking events offered

If you want to not feel like complete garbage the day after and attend some cool free events, then have a browse of all the non-alcoholic events UoB is offering. There’s a variety of outings to help welcome you to Birmingham, from Cadbury World visits to social nights at the Duck and Scholar, it really does not matter if you miss the odd night out. They are also really useful for discovering just what Birmingham is all about.

Signing up to every single UoB society

The University of Birmingham strongly encourages freshers to try something new, but you definitely shouldn’t sign up for everything. Do not put your name down at every stall otherwise you will get tons of annoying society emails in your inbox and realise you pointlessly spent five pounds on something you will never go to again. Think about what you really want to join before signing up to everything.

Not discovering Uber sooner

In Birmingham, Uber is big. If you come from a small town, you will never have experienced the convenience of ordering an Uber. Download Uber asap and save yourself lots of money as well.

Getting a Roosters every time you go out

You are probably going to get ill just from the amount of Roosters you eat every time you come home.

Choosing to live in Maple Bank or anywhere really far away

Fair enough if you are on a tight budget, but just get used to the basic conditions you will be living in for the next year. Also, if you chose to live in anything beginning with “Liberty”, be prepared to trek for 40 minutes to get to uni every day or spend even more money on daily train tickets.

Worrying about housing for next year

You will get to experience the joys of living in Selly Oak for second and third year. There are plenty of housing agencies in Selly that offer thousands of student accommodation for a cheap-ish price. The first step is to decide who you want to live with, which is difficult when you’ve only known your housemates for 2 seconds. Nevertheless, when the big housing hunt fury starts, stay composed and don’t rush into signing anything without being certain.

Not getting a TV licence

For anyone who is lucky to have a TV in their halls, for example Victoria Halls, not purchasing a TV licence straight away can be a big issue. Soon enough you will get threatening letters through your doors and you may even get an angry man coming in and demanding money. Don’t get yourselves a 1,000 pound fine. We’re already poor enough.

Not signing up to the University Medical Practice

The first time you’re ill at university is always a tough one. When you already feel like dying, not signing up to your local doctor’s surgery will make things even worse and much harder to get medical advice when you need it. Find out where the University Medical Practice is and sign up.

At least you know what it looks like

Shopping at Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s instead of Aldi

Aldi is ten times cheaper and just as good.

Walking underneath Old Joe when it chimes or hearing it chime 13 times

According to myth, it is bad luck and you will fail your exams.