The cold hard truth of being a first year in Leeds

It’s finally here, and you’ve arrived in Leeds with entirely too many clothes and your teddy from home. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “there’s no Fresher like me, I’m here to make my mark and be totally individual”, right? Wrong. I’ve got news for you. First year follows a pattern, and you’re definitely going to be a victim of it at some point.

You’ll step into your new flat and realise you’ve forgotten a colander

It’s beyond me why we all forget this incessantly useful tool, but it happens. Believe me, you’re going to need it for all of the inevitable pasta you’ll be eating.

On the subject of pasta…

Is there a method for measuring the right size portion that actually works? You’ll either have barely enough to begin to line your stomach, or enough to sink a ship. But hey ho, at least you’ve got a colander to drain it. Oh wait.

Circuit laundry will slowly drive you insane

Why it doesn’t let you see how much money you have on your account from your laptop, I will never know. Trust me, you think you know what heaven looks like, but when you enter second year and have a washing machine in your house, you’ll change your mind.

You’ll say you will visit friends but it hardly ever happens

How can you attend the 10/10 events at Canal Mills if you’re boarding the train to Newcastle every other weekend? Christmas will consist of the biggest catch up of your life, it’s practically guaranteed.

Fruity will be the almost-death of you at least once

It’s no secret that for Fruity you have to be absolutely smashed. Enough said.

You’ll make “friends” on nights out during Freshers week that you’ll spend the rest of the year dodging whenever you catch sight of them

You bonded over lip gloss in the Pryzm toilet cubicles, but you should probably wait before exchanging friendship bracelets. Lucy from Charles Morris will probably never be your BFF.

You will definitely sign up for way too many societies

I’m pretty sure you’ll still be receiving emails from the yoga society way beyond the grave. But the fiver for sign up fees was worth it for that one session right?

You'll witness some of the weirdest food combinations of your entire life

My flatmate ate a meal of pizza, cold beans and grapes one night during first year, and it terrified me to my inner core. Leave thoughts of your Mum’s homemade lasagne behind, because university is a different kind of culinary experience. Self-catering does weird things to people.

Get with someone you’d rather not remember, but your flatmates will never let you forget

Shout out to you Andrew, hope life is treating you well.

Have one of the best years of your life

It’ll have its ups and downs, but there’s no other year like it.