We asked Nottingham students for their freshers wisdom here’s what they said

Results day is so overwhelming and chaotic, the last thing you want to be worrying about is everything to do with first year. A key thing to remember on results day is nothing is ever as bad as it seems. Even if things don’t go your way it will work out.

We asked our Instagram followers their best advice for first years, so for those lucky enough to be joining us in Nottingham next year, here is a comprehensive list of the most important things to get you through freshers.

Dos

• Go to your lectures – just because first year doesn’t count to your final grade remember you do still need to pass. Just remember throughout uni, 9ams on Thursdays are almost always empty. Just ask yourself, do you really want to be the friend who resists first year?

• Join societies – I made some of my best friends in societies and my uni experience would be so different if I didn’t have things like weekly sporting things. There are so many societies at uni, you will find something you love and it will help you find your people. Just don’t join everything – tasters exist for a reason. You could even try your hand at writing for The Tab.

• Look after yourself – getting enough food, water, and sleep is vital for thriving at uni. Especially during freshers. Freshers flu is no joke, stay stocked on whatever you need to stay well. Add on to this one, register with your closest GP so that if freshers flu does knock you off your feet, you know where to go. This one does include cleaning your flat, don’t let it fester because it just smells.
• Be open to being friends with everyone – the likelihood is your first friend group will not be your only friend group. Everyone is meeting new people and making friends on your course, in your halls, in societies, the whole time theyre at uni. Don’t limit yourself.

• Do, and this is a big do, follow the tab on instagram @thetab_nottingham we’re pretty funny.

Don’ts

• Live with partners – this may have been the most common don’t. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, sleep with your flatmates, or live with your partners. As nice as the idea is, in reality, the cons very much outweigh the pros. If something goes wrong in December you’ve got six months of living with your ex. Just live closeby or something but we’re begging – don’t live with them.

• Go crazy on freshers tickets – don’t buy every single ticket you see for freshers week. It’s such a waste of money. As soon as you get to uni you realise everyone has different tickets and normally you end up going on an entirely different night out and paying for another ticket.

• Try not to jump into house contracts with the first people you meet, lots of people start looking for houses so early and it’s not a lot of time to decide who your friends are. But don’t be rash with your decision remember this is your entire second year and it can impact you. Make sure you’re thinking these things through.
• Just don’t go food shopping without a list. You’ll have no student loan left after one shop.

Overall, freshers and first year are the perfect time for you to enjoy yourself. Make sure that is something you’re doing. Especially in freshers week, take advantage of the lack of lectures. Get your bearings, meet new people, try new things. These are going to be some of the best years of your life, embrace them because graduation comes so much faster than you would ever realise.

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• Nottingham graduate sprains ankle tossing cap but still goes on night out to celebrate