Second year is so much better than first year, and here’s why

Freshers' week is a lot of fun – finally getting that long-awaited independence and using it to make new friends, transform yourself into someone completely new and go out drinking five days in a row. Being a fresher definitely has its perks, but all isn't lost when second year rolls around! In fact second year is so much better than first year, and here's why:

You don’t have the pressure of making new friends

…which means you don’t have to be nice to everyone you meet for the next few months, or fret over not going out and missing a million stories that will be talked about for the next year. Being polite to someone is an effort when you’re hungover, and you can only tell someone your name and hometown so many times before you begin to lose your mind a little. Making new friends is always fun, but the security of knowing you’ve found a group of people that’ll put up with your antics is a comforting thought.

You know exactly who you’re living with

…presumably your friends or at least people that you get on with. No more awkward encounters with the person living next door to you who you spoke to on the first day but never again. Plus, you definitely won’t have a complete stranger as your roommate for the next year. At least this way if your flatmates trash the kitchen you’re allowed to shout at them.

Making your own food

While at first the idea of not living in college and not being served potatoes three times a day may lead to some withdrawal symptoms, actually being able to pick and choose your own food is miles better than being served some suspicious looking meat for dinner. Plus, you get to choose when you eat, which means you don't have to be awake at unreasonable hours in the morning.

No more annoying fire alarms at 5am

Having a house in general gives you so much more freedom than college does. No fire alarms (except when someone doesn’t know how to cook), no one to come and hoover your room at 7am, and you don’t have to put up with random drunk people making noise in the corridors.

You're older and wiser

After a year of living in Durham you’re more than used to its antics – walks to lectures feel more like an uphill walk rather than a mountain trek, and you’ve already sussed out the best spots for drinks and coffee runs. As a fresher Durham nightlife was just plain weird – what the hell is Klute juice and why are people so obsessed with it? But after a summer without Jimmy's, Klute and Lloyds you’ve more than missed the Durham night out.

You can hold your drink

As a fresher who hasn’t drunk much before coming to uni, Freshers' Week can seem more like a descent into alcoholism than a seven day bender. But as a 2nd year your liver has become well-accustomed to pitchers, shots and of course; Tesco’s Nikita.

You actually start kinda liking your course

Not having to sit through lectures on pointless topics means you start to enjoy your course a little bit more. After a year of just college you can also get to know more people on your course, finally!

Freshers' is amazing, and we remember it fondly. But there are definite advantages to knowing the ins and outs of Durham life, like you will in 2nd year.