Here is your official A-Z rundown of Lancaster Freshers’ Week

I is for ‘I’ve spent all my money’

7 months ago | UPDATED 7 months ago

Lancaster University’s Freshers’ Week may be later than your average university, but that doesn’t stop the pure carnage that descends on campus with the queues of over-packed cars waiting to drop off this year’s freshers. From watching the student ambassadors cheer while waving signs in the rain to dragging yourself out of bed the next Monday morning after a week of being led around campus by your Freshers’ Reps, this week is bound to be jam-packed.

Don’t worry though if the unrelenting chaos is getting a bit too overwhelming then we’ve come up with a handy A-Z rundown of the best (and worst) that Lancaster’s Freshers’ Week has to offer.

A is for Awkward introductions

Freshers’ Week will basically consist of everyone asking each other the same five questions on repeat and forgetting their flatmates’ names, but don’t worry because you still somehow manage to become best friends after a week of forced proximity.

B is for Bar crawl

Good luck trying to actually complete the entire college bar crawl before you graduate, because at this point we’re convinced it’s impossible.

C is for College chants

Does anyone actually use these outside of Freshers’ Week?

D is for Deck chairs

A photo on your college deck chair is the staple of the Lancs Freshers’ photo album.

E is for Eco Shop

BRB, just running to and from Alex Square every time I realise I’ve forgotten to pack something.

F is for Freshers’ Flu

It’s inevitable.

G is for Group chats

Every friend group has a designated group chat maker, but not all of these chats are destined to make it past week five.

H is for Honk for your college

Via @countycollege on Instagram

Don’t expect peace and quiet when driving to your flat: the college reps are up bright and early to wave signs in the rain all day long.

I is for Initial panic

Or just general panic, because you’re bound to freak out constantly for a while. Whether it’s because you forgot to pack your favourite top, you’re worried about making friends, or you’re in non-catered accommodation and just remembered you can’t actually cook, we’ve all been there and it’s perfectly normal to panic for the first week or so.

J is for Just about making it to your 9am

Good luck getting out of bed next Monday after Freshers’ Week madness.

K is for Kitchen nightmares

Some people are lucky and have a flat full of lovely people who don’t leave milk rotting in the fridge and unknown mixtures caked to the hob, but plenty of freshers will soon come to realise that not everyone cleans up after themselves. Don’t worry though, because it makes for a very entertaining (and possibly traumatic memory-inducing) Lancs Tab article on flat horror stories.

L is for Lancs Tab

The best thing about Lancaster Uni tbh x

M is for Maybe going out again was a bad idea

Some days you won’t see first years until early afternoon, because they’ve spend all morning passed out in bed. From welcome talks and campus tours, to quizzes and flat bonding, your days will be packed and a lot of the time you just need some sleep to catch up.

N is for Never Have I Ever

At some point in the week one person will convince their flat to play the drinking version of either Truth or Dare or Never Have I Ever and call it “bonding”.

O is for Out Out

Nights out are not done halfway this week.

P is for Post-It Notes

Keep an eye out for the increasingly elaborate post-it note displays that crop up in flat windows throughout first term.

Q is for Quizzing with the Queens

It’s back again on the Welcome Week schedule and is bound to be as chaotic as ever.

R is for Re-Strav

We miss Extravs so much we just have to have a re-do in October.

S is for Sugarhouse

Get ready for your traditional introduction to Lancaster’s resident student nightclub.

T is for Takeaways

The Sultan’s queue at 4am will be unrivalled even by Greggs.

U is for Underpass

Word of advice: Don’t get the 100 unless you want to take a long and windy detour through Bowerham surrounded by other students.

V is for VKs

The staple of a student night out.

W is for ‘What’s your name, what college are you in?’

Get ready to have the same awkward conversation with everyone that you meet… you’ll get so used to it that “Fresher’s Week Convos” could be your specialist subject on Mastermind.

X is for X-pectation vs reality

Expectation: “This is going to be the best week of my life.”

Reality: “I’m surrounded by strangers and I don’t know where anything is.”

Don’t panic if you’re stressed because Freshers’ Week is almost always overwhelming and the best parts of uni are almost always in the weeks after Freshers’ anyway.

Y is for You reckon we should go out again?

A year later you will have no idea how you managed to go out that much in Freshers’ Week, whether going out to you means turning up at Sugar every night, or just doing all of the events that the uni puts on. The Freshers’ FOMO might be hard, but don’t be afraid to take some time for yourself if you need it – it’s only the first week!