A comprehensive survival guide to going out in Liverpool

Coming to uni from a town with no nightlife and a little unsure as to what Liverpool has in hold for you? Leaving your home town to come and join a uni with such a vast and expansive night life can be daunting, but don't worry, after a few hours you'll soon learn to love it. This much-needed survival guide that will get you through, and it'll make you the night life know-it-all in your flat this year.

Pre-drinks

Pre-drinks are essential for all uni students. Hosting them however, is a different story. Hosting is a great way to meet new people from all over your accommodation, but the clean up the next day might make you think twice about doing it again. Don't get me wrong, the free alcohol you acquire is great; but when you realise your carpet stinks of sick, your couch is sticky and your new glasses have already been smashed it is sometimes just not worth the hassle.

Don't let that put you off though, simply host pres slightly later on in the year. By then you will know who the maniacs are and you can keep an eye on them. A mad pre-drinks is by far the best way get to know people. You'll start to see which friendship group you're most suited to. Trust us, the people who you first live with, may not always be best suited for your friendship group. You'll soon find that out in freshers when you distinguish between the crying drunks, the nasty drunks, paralytic drunks and the funny drunks. You will realise very soon what type of drunk you are and who still loves you even at your most drunk.

Where to start your night in town

I always start my best nights out in Cava. It's the small yellow place next to Pop World, but trust me a couple of £1 tequila shots will make the place look a little less flithy. By the time you get to your fifth shot with lemon and salt you'll forget about the ripped couch, and the dirty toilets, and start feeling that tipsy buzz. If you can make it to ten shots and still walk out in a straight line then go you, because it's a lot harder than it sounds. Just warning you, it hurts when you miss a step on the stairs and fall – trust me the bouncer doesn't catch you every time.

Where to find all your first year friends

Level, BaaBar and Black Rabbit are the main attraction for most first years. They see the three floors and the queues around the corner and immediately assume that they're place to be. These clubs are where you'll find the first years wanting to get drunk to chart music. Concert Square is also a big hit, particularly in summer, it's the place to be for student events such as Carnage and the Lock In Zoo Party.

Where to go when you are no longer a newbie

The Raz is the place that will become your local. You'll make some of the best memories and the worst. Whether its having a melt down over exams and boyfriends or whether its where you get so drunk and happy dancing with your friends is number one priority. The Raz is the place to go.

So where do you go when you are wanting to switch things up abit? Crazy Pedro's is a definite visit, who doesn't enjoy eating spring roll pizza whilst playing beer pong and dancing to classic indie music. Or perhaps you wanted more of a sit and chill vibe? Some Place is where you should be headed, with live music on weekends and absinthe centred drinks, you relax and get drunk way quicker than you expect.

Which clubs to visit when it's 5am, but you're still going strong

Liverpool caters to all students, whether you're the kind who needs their bed at 12 or whether you're still taking shots at 5. Heaven till seven and Fusion are the places to be when you just haven't had enough and you still have a few hours left in you. Either one will see you fit but I can guarantee you'll leave either place drunker than ever before.

Where to get food for the walk home

That drunk hunger can be possibly one of the worst feelings known to man, but once you find that right takeout, the feeling of relief is quite impossible to describe. Based on a poll taken from students all over the city, it was voted that "Nabzy's" was the place to be. Ordering a supreme burger meal to settle that last sambuca shot is quite possibly the best feeling a student can feel.