14 things all Lancaster Uni freshers should avoid

Dear Freshers, you’re well into your second term at uni with summer exams coming up (you only need to pass your first year so try not to stress too much). We bet it only feels like yesterday since you were moving everything into your college on the first day of Freshers Week. Sorry to break it to you, but your days as Freshers are slowly coming to an end, but there is still lots of time to make the most out of your first year of uni.

Inevitably, first years make the same mistakes (take it from a third year, us uni students make lots of them). In a year, you will all be looking back on your first year photos and thinking to yourself, “I miss how easy life was back then”.

Here are 14 things you should most definitely avoid if you don’t want to look back on your first year and be embarrassed.

1) Only going to Whoops Wednesdays

There’s more to clubbing in Lancaster than venturing to Sugar on a Wednesday, especially when every society has a social and the 1A bus gets absolutely rammed. Instead, try going to Skint Mondays at Glow (Scotty T made an appearance here just the other day) as well! Sugar is also open on Fridays, so what a perfect way to end your week.

2) Sleeping/getting with your flatmate

There is a reason why everyone tells you not to do this, even before you start uni. They might be fit, and you might have good banter with them, but those two minutes you spend locking lips will be the longest two minutes of your life. Not to mention the months of awkwardness that follows the two of you for the rest of the year.

Therefore, flatcest should be avoided at all costs and things are made much worse when you’ve planned to live with them in second year.

3) Saying that you ‘have too much work to do’

First year is the only time at uni when your work doesn’t count towards your degree. You only have to pass (it’s literally the bare minimum). Grades come and go, but the drunken memories and the friends that you make in the toilets of Spoons, or anywhere for that matter, will last a lifetime.

Also, don’t you dare complain about the workload. It’s only a downhill struggle from here.

4) Not joining any societies

Joining a society is one of the best things about uni life, and the number of societies at Lancaster Uni is endless. It might seem scary at first to join a society where everyone knows everyone, but just remember that everyone was in the same position as you at one point. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to join that one society you’re interested in could make your whole uni experience so much better. Go on. We know you’re dying to join RockSoc.

5) Getting on the 100 bus when you have the option of the 1 or the 1A

Right, we don’t understand why people would do this. It makes going into town for a few bits more annoying because you have to go through Hala and Bowerham when you could get the 1 or the 1A and save 10 mins on your journey. Please don’t get on the 100 unless you need to if you live on campus.

6) Don’t be afraid to organise plans with people

You might think that you have found life-long friends already. But what about the girl in your lectures who always smile at you? It’s important to have as many friends as possible while at uni, especially if one friendship group flakes on your on-campus bar crawl, at least you have other mates to convince. First-year is the perfect time for you to go up to someone in the underpass and say ‘I like your bag’ and go from there. Trust us, doing this during any other time at uni will make the whole scenario awkward. Be the first to make an effort.

7) Only going drinking at pres and Sugar

Yes, Sugar is known for its 3-4-6 VKs, but what about tLancaster’smany other pubs and bars? On Church Street alone, there are Crafty Scholar and Study Rooms. Equally, Spoons and many other pubs and bars are open until late for you to try, such as Mint, Generation, Brown Cow and Hogarths.

8) Not leaving the campus bubble

When you first come to Lancaster, you notice that the campus is a trek from town, and it might be easy not to leave the confines of your flat except for a night out. You’re going to spend three (or more) years at Lancaster, so use all of the time you have to explore everything in Lancaster. If you’ve always wanted to try Eat Indian in town, then go for it. There is no time like the present.

9) Not stealing a cone on a night out

Many first year uni students take a souvenir from the night out in the form of a traffic cone, thinking that it is such a unique idea and no one has ever thought of it before. You’re hilarious, but please stop.

10) Unironically wearing your Sport Lancaster merch out of the house

We get it. Your whole personality revolves around the gym and sports, but please don’t make it a part of your fashion style. You’re just admitting to everyone that you can afford the £40 hoodie. For those of you freshers who haven’t got around to joining a sports society, count yourself lucky that you don’t give off obnoxious vibes.

11) Leaving your washing up to soak

It’s not hard to wash up your pots and pans when you’re finished with them. No one believes that one housemate will come back later to finish washing up once the grease has gone. Hours turn into days, food turns into mould, and your housemate decides to take a trip back home for the weekend. Yum.

12) Not making use of the uni wellbeing services

It may be hard to believe, but Instagram is not real. Your mates from back home may post daily how much they love first year and really don’t want to go back home, but just remember that first year is not always plain sailing. Uni can be hard at times, and if you continue to feel stressed and unhappy, please use the uni services.

13) Don’t cheat on your boyfriend/girlfriend from home

Many couples break up before uni, and some even try to make the relationship work whilst one of them is at uni. The number of stories we’ve heard of people just casually talking about cheating on the partner during first year who lives on the other end of the country, only to have them come and visit days later with the whole flat knowing apart from them.

14) Burnout

You’ve probably just received the same text from your mum right now, but it is really easy to feel burnout when you put all of your time and energy into your uni work and your social life. Make sure you look after yourself by going on the Woodland Walk or even walking around Williamson Park if the weather is nice.

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