September 9, 2016, by Amy

An Honest Guide To Arrival Day

Freshers Week is nearly upon us and reflecting back on my first day almost two years ago now (what how did that happen?!) I remember all the nerves and excitement building up to that week. The compulsive buying of things I didn’t need, browsing facebook and twitter pages to scout out potential friends and desperately googling things like ‘do people bring their parents to arrival day’.

The truth is that your arrival day is always going to be a mixed bag of emotions. It’s where you say goodbye to your family and are thrust into the unknown all by yourself probably for the first time. The comforting fact is that everyone is in the same situation and everyone is looking to make friends.

Now I’m going to cast my mind back to that very day and give you some hopefully helpful advice.

1. Arrive Early
Me and my family got there by around 10am and I was truly thankful for that. It meant we could get all unpacked and I was one of the first on my floor to arrive so the corridor wasn’t crammed and everything was just a bit calmer. We could relax and have a cup of tea to calm the nerves and just feel a whole lot more organised. I also used this time to walk around campus and figure out where the buildings were for my first week – something I recommend but remember if you arrive late it’s no big deal – everyone gets lost in the first week, it’s part of the adventure!

IMG_0274

My brother was really helpful with the unpacking!

 

2.Say Your Goodbyes ASAP
I had to learn this one the hard way. Me and my parents went out to grab some lunch and by the time we came back everyone was already mingling and chatting and I was still with my parents and missing out. This meant for a rushed and nerve-filled goodbye with some tears on both mine and my parents part. As difficult as it is, it’s best to say goodbye as soon as possible so you can settle into finding a group of friends. Think about it like ripping off a plaster quick!

8894bigthumb

 

3.Everyone Is Feeling The Same
Remember, everyone is going through the exact same experience. I remember within a month, me and my friend group were all chatting and laughing about how nervous we were on the first day. I said how I had spent the first five minutes crying in my room before I came out, and they all said they had similar experiences! Best thing is to just get out there and start mingling. A pro tip is to bring a door stop (although they may already have them at your accommodation) and leave your door open so people can come in and chat. Also it’s handy to have a good conversation starter, mine ended up being the bouquet of sunflowers my mom had left me that everyone really liked! Throw yourself into all the events that are on offer – and just have tonnes of fun!

13172bigthumb

Don’t miss the freshers fair!

 

At the end of the day, it will be a mad rush and you’ll wonder how you ever got through it but in the end everything will be fine and you can have a laugh about it in the future! (or maybe even write a blog post about it!)

Useful links for freshers week:

UoN Welcome 2016

UoN Freshers Twitter

UoN Facebook

UoN Key Dates

Posted in Amy