A Freshers’ guide to Fallowfield via Instagram photo dumps

Rather than pics of iced lattes and bedside tables cluttered with gold jewellery and twisty candles, a Fallowfield student’s photo dump is worlds away from an influencer’s. Yeah, there may be a zoomed in photo of the sunset or two but the greens featured on the kitchen table are potentially not of the kale variety.

Freshers’ week is here so get familiar with these obligatory Fallow posts.

Photos of the best friend from Freshers’

For the first few weeks of Term one, expect to be bombarded with pics of the clubbing escapades of those who have become ‘best friends’ in Freshers’ Week. They hit it off from the get go, did a couples Halloween outfit and wouldn’t leave each others side if you paid them.

Posts captioned ‘soulmate’ or other will flood your social media feed until they go home over Christmas, think about how they’ve met no-one else, and return in the New Year full of passive aggressive comments and regret.

The photo dumps will slowly die off but the ‘so hot babe’ comments under selfies will be back and forth forever.

Candid kitchen pics

Candid shots are all the rage with “What I’ve been up to recently” posts on Instagram. Amongst the lecture theatre selfies and photos in 42s lie the oh-so-effortless flatmate pics in a grotty student kitchen. In other words, the best way to show your home friends that you’re having a real laugh, are so totally carefree and living the wacky student experience.

Find a sink littered with plates and pans of yesteryear and pull out the camera on your unsuspecting flatmate in an oodie to snap some for the gram (use 0.5x for extra effect).

Themed flat parties

Themed parties are everywhere in Fallow. If you follow anyone in a sports society, brace yourself for Wednesdays when you will be bombarded by photos of rowers in head-to-toe 70’s gear and netballers dressed as lobsters.

Even if you’re not sporty, if you happen to have friends, and said friends happen to have birthdays during term time, the likelihood of you attending a themed party increases tenfold.

For cohesive group pics you will need to be well equipped in the costume department (in other words, you won’t have any idea what you’re going as until your flatmate pulls out a Princess Di wig and some cycling shorts and you decide to take one for the team.)

The flat Christmas dinner

The highlight of any student’s first year experience (and consequently every year going forwards) is the obligatory flat Christmas dinner.

It starts as a suggestion and everyone agrees to pitch in. However, when the day rolls around, one flatmate will inevitably decide to take over operations and make the whole meal themselves (“as long as everyone else washes up”). All credit to them as it is a photo-worthy first year event. A scour of any second year Instagram will show remnants of first year flat Christmas celebrations in the depths of a photo dump.

Everyone was at their happiest and they have the pictures to show for it.

Club candids

Ranging from posed pics in the 42s light tunnel and dancing snaps in Funkademia to selfies in the lush XLR toilets and 256 sports society mixers, club photos make up the majority of any Fallow student’s Instagram.

You won’t get there till gone midnight but the photos will come as early as freshers week and won’t stop until graduation.

Film pic to demonstrate level of cool-ness

Nothing says Manchester like a photo dump headed by a candid-but-actually-quite-nice photo taken on a disposable Canon.

You pretend you didn’t know it was being taken but your flatmates watched as you handed your friend the camera and posed, laughing into the distance at no-one in particular. Bonus points if you have a friend with a film photography finsta who can take vintage looking pics of you at Oak house parties to further the illusion.

Studycore

In a bid to show your home (and Mum’s) friends that you are actually somewhat intelligent, you will, at some point, balance out photos from the club with stories in the library. From laptop screens to stacks of books you have no intention of reading, every student Insta has hints of aspiration towards the dark academia aesthetic.

Spot people taking photos in the old study rooms in Purple to suggest they got into Oxbridge or, on the extreme end, posting from inside John Rylands as if they actually study there (no-one does).

Platt Fields

As soon as the weather reaches 12 degrees in Fallowfield, prepare to witness swathes of students leaving their halls, bluetooth speakers and beers in hand, heading for Platt Fields. This experience creates BeReal-esque shots of a group of you huddled in sweatshirts on damp grass while across the park blast the suave tones of drum and bass.

Once summer rolls around, though, Instagram will be story after story of that person you spoke to once in Freshers, sunbathing on the hill, looking like they’re having the time of their life. Naturally, this will prompt you to head out with your flatmate who will snap a film roll’s worth of pics of you, tinny in hand and sunnies on. The pics will almost certainly be posted in winter once said friend finally gets their camera developed. Success.

Squirrels

Oak House’s resident bar can be spotted on every Instagram account by its characteristic green breeze block painted hallways and its resemblance to a school PE hall.

To get a space by the bar requires methodic planning and the stealing of seats from downstairs until six of you are squeezed around a single trestle table drinking cheap vodka oranges.

Chesters

Regardless of your post-club persuasion re: chips, Chesters is a staple in every fresher’s Insta stories. Some (we) would argue it is the peak of any night out despite exposing faces that may have looked significantly better in the dark corners of Factory to bright LED lighting.

Harsh reality check aside, drunk photos will be taken and while most will never see the light of day, when the end of term photo dump rolls around, you will find your friend slide in a sneaky candid of you looking past your best in Fallowfield’s resident chicken shop.

Sitting on the steps of second year house

Make friends with virtually anyone in second or third year and witness the mandatory taking of photos of housemates sat on their house step in Fallowfield – red brick houses the sure sign of being a local.

Whether in last night’s clothes collapsed against the front door, or a perfectly staged group pic for the parents, taking photos outside your second year house is a rite of passage that solidifies your status as a Fallow student.

Do you want to write articles like this? Do you want to uncover the biggest stories on campus? The Manchester Tab are looking for new writers and we want you! To find out about how to join the team and come to our first open meeting, click the link here.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• From Oak House to Unsworth: A Freshers’ brutal guide to Manchester Uni halls

• Manchester students offered £100 a week to live in halls… in Liverpool

• Everything your Manchester Uni prospectus doesn’t tell you