Listen up, Lancs: This first year bucket list will make you have the best first year ever

You’ve made it! You’ve officially moved in after a weekend of frantically packing and unpacking your cars before hauling everything up five flights of stairs to your accommodation for the year. After saying goodbye to your family you may think the hard part is over, but think again because you have loads to do.

Between the havoc that is Freshers’ Week, starting your degree and living in a flat with complete strangers, everything is bound to feel strange and uncertain for a bit – but don’t stress because we’ve come up with a handy bucket list that will make sure you complete all 0f the necessary Lancs student milestones so that you can make the most of student life all the way through first year.

1. Go for a walk in Williamson Park

If things are getting a bit too stressful with your coursework, then Williamson Park is the perfect place for a peaceful stroll to clear your head. When the summer heatwave hits (or even if it’s just mildly warm – we take what we can get) you’ll see Lancs students heading straight up to Ashton Memorial to have a picnic in the sun.

2. Take a picture of the ducks

It makes up 50% of every true Lancaster student’s camera roll, but somehow we never get tired of taking pictures of Lancs’ cutest residents.

3. Get lost in the Management School

If you’re not getting lost in Management School on a weekly basis, then are you even going to your lectures? It’s basically a maze, and you or one of your friends will probably accidentally walk into the wrong lecture at least once before you graduate.

4. Join a society

Freshers’ Fair can be overwhelming with every society trying to get you to join them for a year, but don’t be put off by the madness. Societies are a great way to make new friends so why not try out a couple of the free taster sessions to see which one’s perfect for you? It costs you nothing and you could end up meeting your best friends there.

5. Support Lancaster at Roses

Roses is Europe’s biggest varsity competition where we compete against York University in every single sport the unis have to offer. It’s madness, it’s jam-packed, it’s the most competitive event of the year, and if you’re not turning up to support Lancaster then what are you doing?!

6. Wear a crazy costume for Extrav

Extrav takes place at the end of the year and each college has a different theme (think Mario Kart, 70s Disco, Spies). Every year the costumes are incredible and flats have loads of fun DIY-ing matching outfits, or even coming up with their own ideas and surprising their friends!

7. Get a picture by the Sugar wings

It might be cliche, but it’s the staple of every Lancs student’s Instagram.

8. DIY some flat Christmas decorations

Somehow the decorations are worse than the string and lollipop stick snowflakes you made in primary school, but students still love making them the focus of their Christmas decor.

9. Do a campus bar crawl

If you manage to actually complete a full bar crawl of every college bar, then frankly it’s a miracle and you deserve an award.

10. Pull an all-nighter at the library

We wouldn’t recommend leaving all of your uni work until the last minute, but at some point, it’s bound to happen and that’s what the library is open for! You can do your work there 24/7, and bonus points to you if you get all your friends and some snacks and have a group study session.

11. Avoid Freshers’ Flu

It’s impossible, but we can dream.

12. Visit Sultans after a night out

Just follow the line of students heading from the Underpass to Sultans for some great late-night food and a free bottle of water.

13. Sing karaoke at Crafties

You can hear the music from Crafties on the other side of Lancaster (especially when Love Story starts playing), so why not have a laugh with your friends and join in on their karaoke nights?

14. Go on a day trip to the Lake District

Need I say more?

15. Have a Circuit Laundry washing machine break halfway through your load

Circuit Laundry is the bane of our existence, but it’s the only option we have — so be prepared to have a washing machine stop working at least once in your first year.

Related articles recommended by this writer:

• The 11 biggest lies Lancs students tell themselves during Freshers’ Week
• It’s that time of year again – here are all the Lancaster colleges’ Freshers’ events
• Nine things every Fresher should know – from current Lancaster students