The End of First Year

So, freshers isn’t all it’s made out to be. It is fun, you meet new people, there’s loads of flat parties and you can oversleep for your first ever lectures. That is actually how we became friends. Definitely spend as much time as possible with your flat and get to know them, so you don’t have to put up with their habits for the rest of the year, like people leaving their washing up out for a week. Go to as many flat parties as possible, even if you only know a few people there because it is the best way of meeting new people. Vary which clubs you go to, and you will soon figure out which ones you can’t stand the sight of. Also, make sure you pre-drink heavy. It’s better to be the person stumbling to the train station than having to pay stupid prices for your drinks.

I beg you, learn how to cook at least two meals before you go to university, or you’ll end up eating microwave meals, which isn’t great when your microwave never works. We ended up cooking together sometimes, because it saves money and we ate the same things. Try find a recipe that you love to make, for us it was cottage pie and lasagne. It’s alright to treat yourself sometimes, we found out that Nando’s was our best friend as it was just across the road from our lectures and saved us from cooking dinner in our stinky kitchen when we got back. It only takes about 2 minutes to convince someone that they need to go to Nando’s with you.

Do as much as you can, even if it’s just to the park or a walk round town, you will make more friends and more memories that way. Especially go to events, like The Warehouse Project, Halloween and Bonfire night, just don’t walk an hour through the dodgiest part of Manchester to get to Platt Field’s Park. We also went to a Christmas light switch on in Manchester, it rained the entire time and we got drenched, but we still had a good time because most uni students went.

Leaving for Christmas was awful, packing up the place you’ve called home and lived in with your best mates. But it is better if you impulsively book £5 flights to Dublin and stay overnight so you know when you’re next going to see them, or make them come to London and get lost in the Euston Underground station. Note to Courtney’s past self, make sure you have your battery in your Polaroid camera properly otherwise you will throw a tantrum in the middle of Winter Wonderland and it’ll ruin your mood.

If you can, get a job or transfer with your work. It gives you extra money and also lets you meet people outside of uni and it occupies some of your time, especially if your friends are going home at the weekend. Find somewhere to go when you don’t feel your best. For us, it was a high rise car park where we could see the lights of Salford and Manchester. Make sure you watch your favourite shows with your friends, we always loved watching I’m a Celebrity and Winter Love Island together and having a big gossip about them.

If you’re anything like us, you will be ill 90% of the time or you’ll hear someone in your flat coughing or sneezing. Take those vitamins your parents tell you to take and religiously carry a bottle of Dettol around.

Our first year ended early, Uni was cancelled and we all decided to move home because of Coronavirus. Maybe naively, we thought we’d be back in a few weeks and it would all be normal again, but that didn’t happen. Savour first year as much as you can and make sure you find a drink that doesn’t send you white.

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