Here are the six things that all York freshers need to know to survive Freshers’ Fair

Phew, it’s an understatement to say that Freshers’ Week was one busy week! A visit to Freshers’ Fair tomorrow is the perfect way to round off the week and start your academic year off with a bang.

Let’s face it, Freshers’ Fair can be rather daunting. Whether it’s speaking to people you’ve never met before, or the overwhelming hustle and bustle of thousands of excited students taking over Campus West for a day, it’s not surprising that you might be feeling anxious or apprehensive about Freshers’ Fair.

That’s why we’ve compiled a handy survival guide to the event, which will ensure that you have an amazing time browsing the stalls, signing up to societies and clubs, and shoving all of the freebies that you can muster into your bag. Prepare for lots of friendly chats, bag-loads of freebies, and countless emails from all different societies filling up your inbox…

Gather your flatmates and friends together

I mean, sure, you can always take yourself on a solo date to Freshers’ Fair and have an incredible time browsing stalls to your heart’s content. Then you won’t have to worry about your bestie dragging you by the arm to, let’s say, the skydiving or mountaineering society when you’re petrified of heights.

But Freshers’ Fair, like any other fair, is so much more fun to go to with a pal or two by your side. If you have shared or similar interests, maybe you could sign up for societies and clubs together. That way, you’ll not only have joined a society, but you’ll feel more at ease knowing that a familiar friendly face will be there at the society with you. Win-win!

Head there early so you have plenty of time to explore the fair

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As a Freshers’ Fair veteran (if I do say so myself), I would advise you to head to Freshers’ Fair sooner rather than later. The fair, spread across Campus West, begins at 10am tomorrow, and the stalls close at 4pm. I would recommend setting off early and planning your time strategically by planning which societies you definitely want to speak to the night before the event, consulting the Freshers’ Fair maps (some societies have posted their stall locations and numbers on social media), and reading our complete and essential guide to the fair.

However, it is important to be respectful of the dedicated quiet hour of the fair, held between 10am and 11am, for those with accessibility needs. Since Freshers’ Fair can become very busy and noisy, it can become overwhelming for neurodivergent students; if you identify as neurodivergent or if you have other accessibility needs, I would recommend attending the fair during the quiet hour to ensure that you feel as comfortable as possible and make the most of the dedicated quiet rooms if you need to take a break from the fair (details of these rooms are on the York SU website). There are also ear defenders and “I’m just looking” stickers available if you would like to browse the fair without being approached by committees and club members.

Speak to societies and clubs that you’re interested in joining

Now, I’ve been on both sides of the desk (or should I say stall?). As both an excited and nervous fresher in the past, and now a member of The York Tab’s editorial team, I’ve been in the shoes of both the fresher and the committee member in this situation.

If you’re a fresher, I completely understand that it can be daunting and nerve-wracking to speak to people that you’ve never met before. However, at Freshers’ Fair, it’s important to remember that we’re here to help you, not to judge you. We’re here to help you join societies and clubs and make lots of new friends, and we want you to succeed. So please do come and say hi. I promise you we won’t bite!

It’s good to bear in mind that if you sign up to a society’s mailing list, you are agreeing for the secretary of that society to send you emails about the club and their events. So bear in mind that if you sign up to lots of societies’ mailing lists, your inbox will be full of emails from all of the different societies at first. If you change your mind about a society and no longer want to participate in it, you can always unsubscribe from their emails at a later date, so I would recommend signing up to any societies that you think you might be interested in, and then going from there.

Be open to trying out new societies that you hadn’t previously considered joining

Now you might be thinking, why did I suggest earlier to meticulously plan out every society that you want to speak to, only to eventually suggest adopting a spontaneous approach to the fair?

Well, while I would advise you to prioritise visiting the societies and clubs that you have a definite interest in, a degree of flexibility and open-mindedness proves first class at Freshers’ Fair (excuse the pun). Ever been a little bit curious about handball or hiking or hummus appreciation, but hadn’t previously considered trying it out? Now’s the time to get involved! Uni is all about trying new things and stepping outside of your comfort zone.

My advice is to stay true to your interests and passions, but be willing to be open and flexible about trying new things that you haven’t previously considered, or you’ve held back from trying before. Who knows, getting involved in something new and unexpected might just be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make while at uni…

Freebies galore

Here’s one thing that we all love about Freshers’ Fair: Freebies everywhere! Your arms might not love carrying bags bursting with freebies back to your uni room at 4pm tomorrow as much as you love free stuff, but getting new pens, leaflets, flyers, keyrings, stickers and all sorts of fun items makes it worth it. At least you got loads of cool new stuff!

When you speak to committees and sign up to societies, they will often be giving out cute freebies as further incentives to join the groups. My advice to you is to bring your own bag to Freshers’ Fair to carry all of your freebies in, like a tote bag that you can carry over your shoulder, or something similar. This will ensure that you can collect freebies to your heart’s content tomorrow, without having to worry about attempting to carry them all in your hands and having them spilling out onto the floor.

Grab your free pizza slice from the Domino’s van

As a Freshers’ Fair veteran, I am here to tell you that your Freshers’ Fair experience is not complete without a visit to the iconic Domino’s pizza van. There’s nothing better than grabbing a warm slice of fresh, gooey, cheesy goodness after a long day of signing up to societies and chit-chatting with committees.

My advice is to aim to grab your free slice of pizza either just before or after lunchtime, if possible. Unsurprisingly, the queue is longest for the pizza van around lunchtime and in the early afternoon, so I would advise that you plan your time effectively to ensure that you can get your hands on a slice without having to spend ages queuing.

But to be honest, you can get a lot more slices than just one is you want to. You also get given more Domino’s offers for after the fair, in case you’re fancying a whole pizza later on.

So there you have it: my comprehensive survival guide to Freshers’ Fair. Try to head to the fair with an open-minded, positive attitude and please try not to be nervous, everyone is here to support you. And if you catch the York Tab team around campus tomorrow, please do come and say hi and introduce yourself to us! We’re all super friendly and fun and we can’t wait to meet you. See you there!

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