Everyone who participates in the welcome period for University of Sheffield students— the infamous ‘Freshers Week’— has wildly different experiences.
My attempt to navigate those seven days proved no exception to that rule.
I presumed stress and anxiety would dissolve after A-Levels and before university. I was wrong.
The approach of Freshers’ Week brought with it an avalanche of advice on social media. Everyone, everywhere, seemed eager to dish out survival tips—what I must do, avoid, and practice to make a solid first impression.
I was excited, but I also felt expected to nail it from the start. The pressure to do everything right was intense, and Freshers’ Week had somehow become a required checklist for social success.
On top of all this pre-event panicking, the most daunting aspect was living with new people. It was as if I was auditioning for nine strangers, and the prospect haunted me.
However, in the end, the week surprised me.
Our first night out at The Leadmill was typical for the venue—eventful. It ended with a forty-minute walk back to our Endcliffe flat, stumbling through the cool night air, holding hands with flatmates I’d only known for hours, laughing at how far we had to go.
It felt like a disaster at the time, but it was actually the ideal start. Even now, it’s a memory she and I look back on fondly.
It was messy and far from perfect, but that’s what made it real and easy. The people who got to know me during Freshers’ Week saw the unfiltered version of me.
It’s easy to fall into the heavily marketed trap of thinking your first week defines your entire university experience, but to many, it actually means very little.
It’s ultimately why the best advice I can give during Freshers’ Week is simple: just be yourself.
Despite all the advice and common knowledge suggesting otherwise, I didn’t try too hard, pretending to be someone I wasn’t. I made close friends by being myself.
Overall, Freshers’ Week is meant to be enjoyable, not revelatory. Plenty of memories from my first year overshadow that first week, so there’s no need to stress if it didn’t live up to expectations.
Simply relax into your first few weeks of higher education.
Oh, and make sure to take it all in.
Even if that means getting horrifically drunk with strangers.
