Being a Cardiff Fresher is honestly the best part of uni, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees

Out every night of the week? Yes, of course


Being a fresher is amazing but being a fresher at Cardiff is even better. Walks along the river Taf in the evenings, getting kicked out of glam on a Monday, avoiding anyone in chinos in the SU, it’s one hell of a rollercoaster. You’ll end the year full of memories – good, bad and ugly. There will be nights you can’t remember and ones you wish you couldn’t remember but you’ll secretly love everything you did. These are the things which every Cardiff Fresher will have done.

Going to  club open every night of the week

Glam Mondays, Revs Tuesday, SU Wednesday, Walkabout Thursday, Pryzm Friday, Juice Saturday, Soda Sundays. YES that’s right, a club is open every night of the week. Diff’ death week? Completed it mate.

Missing over half of your 9am and 10am lectures

It happens alright lay off mum. When you’re at Sixth Form you got up at 8am every day of the week but at uni that is a myth. Any lecture before midday is a struggle but don’t worry you only need 40 per cent and attendance doesn’t matter.

Losing all sense of routine

You don’t set alarms regardless of whether you have a lecture because you’re an independent person now and nobody is going to tell you what to do. You get up when you’re hungry, usually around midday. You sleep when you’re tired, usually 3am. Any routine goes out of the window. This makes going home very difficult, you have been warned.

‘Forgetting’ to the washing up

For a brief moment, you forgot that you lived by yourself now so you left all your washing on the side for your “mum” and went back to bed.  Six hours later you wake up to get ready to go out and realise you have no cup to drink your vodka squash from.  You look for a mug, no that’s dirty too.  Before you know it you’re at pres and you find yourself drinking out of a jug, and there’s a note left on your cupboard. Oh well, let the sesh roll on…

Pre’s ft. Jug

You discovered how hard it was to get 40 per cent

Everyone’s favourite bit of first year, it doesn’t count unless you’re a Psychology student in which case LOL. 40 per cent is easy, you tell yourself all year. By the exams you’ve averaged about 12 per cent in Class Tests and a solid 3rd in Essays so you need a miracle to get 40 per cent overall. You haven’t been to any lectures before midday and that 40 per cent is getting further and further away so you sleep it off and say you’ll revise tomorrow.

Revs Tuesdays

AH Revs. We all panicked when we heard Revs Tuesday was closing and then Mode saved the day and the panic was over. Revs Tuesday is the one night where everyone is fit, everyone looks nice, you drink like there’s no tomorrow. Tuesday is the best night of the week

Drinking too many VKs at the Lash

Cardiff is the biggest VK drinker and the evidence is there after an SU Wednesday. The floor is covered in empty VK bottles. You will go the SU, you will sprint to mke free entry, you will drink too many VK’s, you will strawpedo them and but you won’t regret it.

post VK

Sports Tour

You signed up to loads of clubs at the Freshers Fair such as snow sports, ultimate Frisbee, lacrosse, and netball but ultimately only joined one. But that’s fine when in the second semester you embark on tour. Before you know it, it’s April and you’re on a 24-hour coach to Lloret De Mar for the drunkest week of your life.

we love tight and bright

Varsity

The rivalry between Cardiff and Swansea is a big one. Varsity is a big one. You spend the day getting drunk and shouting abuse at anyone in the green shirt. You end the day at the Principality Stadium cheering like you know what rugby is. It is the best day of the year end of.

we hate Swansea we hate Swansea

Learning to love rugby

You’re in Wales so you have to like Rugby, it’s in the small print on the welcome to Wales sign. By the end of the year you will know it or at least be better at pretending you know what’s going on. Really you’re just there to check out the fit men, players and spectators.

Being a fresher in Cardiff is awesome, and maybe be the best year of your life, although I hope not because in that case it’s all downhill from here. Decent grades, 9ams and internships await in second.

Oh to be a fresher again.