Student Minds: Some advice for freshers

It barely needs saying that the pressure on first-year students is coming from all angles.

As part of their ongoing work to destigmatise mental health issues, Student Minds of Cambridge are running a photo campaign to get older students to share their wisdom. The #DearFresherMe campaign asks people what they would tell their fresher selves if they could roll the clock back. Here are a selection of their best advice nuggets to remind you that we all make mistakes in our first year.

Ain’t no shame in asking help.

For you, maybe.

You will permanently not want to show your face to the world.

A strong man.

Most people were more than happy to donate a nugget of wisdom, even if it was just a tip that your mum was right about.

It will make you a fun person. As you can tell, this person is fun because he’s touching his friend’s face.

If you want friends.

Work juice was a recurring theme.

Less hazardous than a coffee mug?

How rowdy, having coffee at four in the morning.

Some of them were just weird.

HOLY SHIT IS THAT TED LOVEDAY?

You can do it next time you’re buying your fruit.

HSPS, clearly.

Most of them agreed that our culture of putting our degrees ahead of our general well-being is unhealthy…

Pffft, paper and ink.

In the emotional sense, we presume.

Exhibit A of I Don’t Belong Here Syndrome.

Tenuous.

Except asteroids and climate change.

…and that our fresher selves should have made more time for the things they enjoy

Keep up your passion for recorder, kids.

Preach.

At first I read that as do as much as you can extra curry. Interesting syntax, anyway.

Yeah, that triangle that we always talk about.

Student Minds are the national student mental health charity and have had a Cambridge branch for two years now. They aim to break the silence around mental health by running campaigns and events aimed at getting people to not only learn about the subject, but also to share their experiences with others.

Would you like to learn more? Check out the Student Minds website.