All the weird things Cardiff students do that no one else would understand

You may think that since being in uni not much about your character has changed, but we can guarantee that Cathays life has shaped you into a stereotypical Cardiff student. There are many weird things we do that students from outside of Cardiff just wouldn’t understand. Whether that is believing everything we read on Overheard, or being obsessed with fam fish, it is hard to some of the weird things we do existing outside of Cathays. There is no doubt that you can relate to at least half of these Cardiff specific things.

Thinking your mates house is the Ritz… just because of the lack of rats

You can’t really complain when you only pay £340 a month for a house in a capital city, but constantly seeing rats can sometimes put you off your dinner. When you visit your mates house and they tell you they don’t have rats or mould it feels like they’re living in the Ritz. No matter how much we hate the rats, we’ll take it over paying £500+ monthly just for a plain old uni room.

Going to The Prince of Wales at 10am on game days

It’s tradition really. Game days are some of the most important days of the year, and ensuring a spot in The Prince of Wales is essential. The atmosphere is something that can’t be rivalled, and ending up in The Taf just won’t hit the same.  If you’re not there 3 hours early, your chances are limited, unless you’re going to sneak through the exit door.

Pre-drinking before 7pm on a Wednesday

Get ready around 5, leave to your fave Cathays pub by 6:30, and be head to the SU by 9 LATEST? Wednesday sports night means being ready for the night early. As weird as it seems to others, you have to ensure you can get into YOLO and make the most of your night. Starting the night earlier than 11 provides the prime opportunity to consume an abnormal amount of VK’s by the time you’re strolling back home. Generally, we can leave at midnight and feel like we’ve had a full, successful clubbing experience.

Plus, try getting in that queue past 9:30pm, it’s worse than Primark the day the shops opened again.

You absolutely love Taly South

Picture this: a small box room that’s as hot as the Sahara Desert, constantly as loud as a nightclub, and has a shower that floods into your room. Dreamy, right? Taly is the true pinnacle of student accommodation, and theres nothing that bonds students better than having to defend their accommodation from the slander of others. There’s truly nowhere else that the conditions of Taly South would be so desired, but in Cardiff, South is the créme de la créme.

Using pubs as geographical points of reference

“Meet you by the Woody?”, “Yeah, I live on the same road as the Mack”. There’s only one way to navigate Cathays successfully, especially when going somewhere new, and that’s by using pubs as reference. If our mate doesn’t tell us the nearest pub when explaining directions to their house, then there is no chance we’re finding it anytime soon. Pub directions are especially helpful when trying to get home after a long night out. We know its not the most practical method, but it works.

Lidl being the closest thing to Waitrose

There is no feeling more rewarding than coming back from a weekly shop knowing you’ve spent under £25. Nothing screams Lidl more than coming home with meals for the week, a slow cooker, and a gnome to spice up your uni garden. When left to our own devices in Lidl, we’re all uncontrollable, but it just adds to the fun of it really. Treating ourselves to Lidl Deluxe feels classy, and on a student budget, it’s the closest we’re getting to a Waitrose shop, because the closest one is in Cowbridge.

Debating between Mama’s or Fam fish?

It’s a never ending debate. Mama’s and Fam fish are the key to Cardiff students hearts… but which is the best? Overheard has faced many debates regarding the topic, but there is never a definitive answer. The true question is, which would you choose after an SU night? Both are winners in our hearts

Loving Bute park

You didn’t think we could talk about Cardiff students without mentioning the beauty that is Bute. There is a love for Bute that is indescribable to those not in Cardiff. Most would not understand the passion we feel for this slice of heaven in the city centre, but having tinnies in the sun in Bute hits differently. We LOVE Bute, and we won’t have anybody argue us on it!

Accepting that seagulls always get in your bins

There is no single right time to put bins out in Cathays. The Seagulls will always get to them before the bin men, and your street will end up looking like its just been ravaged by a tornado. The one thing worse than seagulls getting your bins is seagulls getting your neighbours bins and the mess blocking the front of your house. There really is no winning with seagulls and bin day. We have to accept defeat.

Avoiding the city centre with a hangover is a must

Every Cardiff student knows the pain of accidentally walking through the Capital Centre and being greeted by the sound of opera singing. We love the positive vibes of the singing man outside Primark, our headaches on the other hand, do not. I warn you, DO NOT go to the city centre on a hangover, Deliveroo and Netflix is a much better shout.

Knowing about the Happy Days man

Need we say more? They might say Wales’ true entertainment hero is Sir Tom Jones, but they clearly haven’t met the Happy Days man.

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