Our best tips for doing Edinburgh freshers right

Let’s set the scene: you’ve just been accepted into the best uni (AKA Edinburgh) and can now officially call yourself a fresher.

The prospect of freshers week is something that everyone looks forward to as an initiation to student life, but with so many events on its sometimes hard to manage the balance between keen bean and ‘too cool,’ so we made a handy guide for you.

Go to the freshers fairs

Usually there are 1 or 2 days set aside solely for freshers fairs for clubs and societies you can join. Go to these.

Joining a society is a fab way to meet new people and provides you with multiple new openers for when you do. Now instead of the usual “What course do you do,” and “where do you live?” you can tell your new friends all the cool ways you’re going to procrastinate doing your work throughout the year.

As they’re student run, the societies and clubs are heavily subsidized meaning that its really cheap (£7 a year for the Pole fitness society? Sign me up) and there’s a whole range of activities on offer (such as writing for the Tab) so this might be the first step in finding your place at uni (come write for the Tab).

There’s free pizza, too

However, don’t go overboard 

Yeah freshers fairs can be exciting, but are you really going to go to all 15 societies you just signed up for? Probably not. Pick a solid few you know you’ll definitely keep going to, and then something new that you’ve always wanted to try.

Lets be real, you’ll probably only end up going to one or two things consistently. Go to the taster sessions too, they’re a great way to help you decide whether your destiny lies in Ballroom dancing, or sign language.

Don’t just stick to the stuff that happening at Potterow and Teviot

Instead of going to that silent disco that’s on about 4 times a week, go check out some of the best clubs around the city. People only go to the silent disco because they’re too scared to actually interact with people. Not a great way to make friends.

Instead go out and find some of the best clubs, like Why Not, Opal, Cabaret Voltaire, and of course, Hive, and go wild. Seriously these places will practically become your second homes as the year goes on, get to know them now.

Hive hive hive

Make use of the free pizza

Seriously, this is a life lesson. Dominos have stands all over campus during freshers week where they give out free slices of pizza pretty much all the time. You could end up getting five slices a day if you do it right.

However, a pretty good tip for this is not to go to straight for the stands. Go to the people walking around with boxes, and just take a whole bloody box. Nothing tastes better than a whole large dominos pizza for free. Nothing.

Sweet, sweet dominos

Don’t spend all your time in your room

Although it might be tempting, in your hungover stupor, to just never leave your bed, you should get up. If not to go to some taster session, or to go on that walk up Arthur’s seat with your new flatmates, then at least just get up to kill the hangover, so you’re ready for another round of drinking that night.

Legend has it if you don’t go up Arthur’s seat in freshers week you’ll fail first year.

Think twice before buying a wristband

At £40, freshers wristbands are pricey, and people are usually split on whether they’re worth it. The best thing to do is to add up the prices of all the EUSA events you think you’ll go to and see if it comes to more than the price of the wristband. If it doesn’t maybe think twice about buying one. At the end of the day, you never know what you’ll end up doing during freshers week, so it’s unlikely you’ll make every Potterow event.

Eat well and often

Just when you thought you’d got away from your mum telling you to eat your greens, here I am being that person. Eating well is really important for all you little freshers, to line your stomachs, and also to help fight freshers flu. That shit is real, kids, and it takes no prisoners. You don’t want to miss Hodor’s DJ set on Thursday because you were defeated by fresher’s flu, do you?

Hodor? Hodor hodor

Most importantly just let your hair down and start as you mean to go on: get as drunk as humanly possible as much as humanly possible.