The reality of Royal Holloway post-Freshers’ Week

Freshers week is over, it's all been a bit mad, you've spent half the week drunk and the other half hungover. You've made the finish line and survived. You're ill, you can't find your timetable, it's your week to empty the bin and you can't find half your stuff because your room is a mess.

So, after a whole week of navigating the craziness, here are some important things to consider now that it's all over (until January)…

The infamous and dreaded FRESHERS FLU

We have all suffered the embarrassment of coughing and sneezing around people we barely know, but when it comes to freshers flu the beauty is that sharing it typically results in making friends.

The first real adjustment people face after freshers week is admitting that freshers flu has hit them. The best of us have denied the symptoms in order to push through the final nights of Freshers but by the end of the week the tissues have overtaken your life and defeated you.

However, there are ways of coping with the flu. The first and most important being less SU more sleep. After a fat nap, drinking lots of water and reintroducing fruit and veg into your diet, you should be on the road to recovery. The greatest comfort you can take from it is that everyone is feeling the same.

The reality of your housemates

Living together post freshers week, without alcohol, and with a dirty kitchen (most the time) is a harsh reality to face. Freshers week is great for many reasons but the most important is allowing you to bond with your fresh new flatmates.

But it's not until after freshers week that you get to know your housemates for real. Taking out the bins and washing up will divide you but your flatmates will always be your very unconventional family.

The academic side of university, lectures and essays

Academia is something that probably isn't new to most students but still daunting. Finally, with lectures starting and deadlines looming, life after freshers week can feel terrifying but don't worry – it's not that bad really.

If anything, the start of university just gives you a bit of structure to plan your next nap, sports practice or night out. It is not a whirlwind of lectures and panic but a time of recovery and bonding.

The post freshers week SU shakes

After freshers week the question of returning to the SU will definitely be raised. Your answer will most likely be yes but you will not return the same. After freshers week, you will have to become all too familiar with cleaning products – not for your cutlery or your clothes but for your shoes.

The weather in England teamed up with spilled VKs means goodbye shoes. So, if you're thinking of going out in your new fresh white AF1's… just don't. Unless you Crep protect.

Another symptom of post fresher's week SU is the sick feeling caused by the thought of another jägerbomb. Some students can no longer down a jägerbomb in one without getting the shakes, a weakness that will likely hit you after Freshers' Week and stay with you for life.

A final post-freshers week tip: Organisation

During freshers week it was almost like a competition to see who could survive the longest without sleep. Surprisingly, after Freshers' Week daily life doesn't function as well this way. The greatest advice anyone can give you is to plan your time. By now, time management may feel like a boring and overused term but it is essential for deadlines and making sure you actually get sleep and don't just rely on Red Bull.

The best organisation tips are: Note down all your deadlines – scary but necessary. Make sure you know your timetable for the week and keep a separate textbook for each different lecture you have, this definitely helps avoid confusion for joint honours students.

Lastly, freshers week never fades and the most important post freshers week advice is to make the most of your time because it zooms by.