What Is Freshers’ Week & How To Make The Most Of It

17 Aug 2023, by Lydia Kah-Pavlou, min. read

What is Freshers’ Week? Find out with our ultimate guide.

You’ve got your results, you’ve confirmed your uni place and now you’re probably busy preparing for the next chapter in your life. If there’s one thing you’re probably hearing lots about as a prospective uni student, it’s freshers’ week.

But, just what is freshers’ week and what does it involve? Well, we’ve got all the info you need to know about just what to expect from your first week of uni.

What is freshers’ week?

Freshers’ week is a welcome period for new students at the start of uni. It’s a chance to get to meet new people, make new friends, explore your new uni, sign up for societies, go to clubs or parties and have a week of fun before the seriousness of uni kicks in. Basically, it’s a week of fun and enjoying your new freedom before your degree starts.

For many students, starting uni is the first taste of independence, living away from home and having the freedom to do what you want without your parents overshadowing. Freshers’ week is designed to help students settle into uni, whether that’s meeting new people, joining societies, or getting used to functioning with a dreadful hangover.

For students who want to go out drinking, it’s an opportunity to enjoy yourself as this is the one time where you’ll have zero responsibilities before you start your degree, so you’ll want to make the most of it. Not to mention you’ll potentially make some friends for life during your first few weeks of uni too!

girls posing for photo together. what is freshers' week

When does freshers’ week start?

Freshers’ week varies from uni to uni, in fact, in some unis, it actually runs for two weeks, rather than just the one! Some univeristies even have a three week period of Freshers’!

Freshers’ week typically starts towards the end of September as soon as you arrive at your new student accommodation, but if you’re not sure you’ll want to check your uni social media pages, as they’ll be able to confirm the dates.

So, whatever day you’re set to move into your new halls, you can expect freshers’ week to follow soon after.

What happens in freshers’ week?

Your students’ union will have plenty of events planned for you during the whole of the freshers period. There will be events running in both the day and night, such as taster sessions for societies, alcohol-free events during the day and big club events and parties during the night. Whether this is a foam party or an obstacle course, freshers’ events happening up and down the country are always designed to help you to make friends and have a good time regardless of your interests.

Your uni will make sure that you know about everything that’s happening both on and off-campus for freshers’ week. When you arrive at your halls, there will be student representatives to help explain the activities that are happening, as well as handing out flyers and posters for events that are happening.

Even though your uni will have a schedule of events planned, you don’t have to follow this strictly. If you and your new flatmates would prefer to organise a trip to your local pub or a shopping trip amongst yourselves to explore your new town or city, there’s nothing stopping you from using the time how you want to.

Just because events are running, you’re under no obligation to attend them, but staying in your room all week will mean that you’ll miss out on socialising and getting to know people. So even if you don’t feel like having a crazy week of drinking, it’s good to get out and explore your students’ union or spend time getting to know your flatmates.

Freshers’ week student discounts

One of the best parts of freshers’ week is that you’ll be able to get loads of great student discounts at all of your favourite brands to help you save some money.

Make sure that you’ve signed up for a Student Beans account, have your email notifications on and have our app downloaded as we’ll be offering loads of amazing discounts for freshers’ 2023, from hungover Domino’s takeaways to savings on your freshers’ fits from ASOS and boohoo.

Which university has the best freshers’ week?

Every uni will probably tell you that they have the best freshers’ week. Let’s face it, you didn’t choose your uni based on what events they have on and whatever uni you’re headed to will have a freshers’ week that you’ll love.

Whether you’re attending a uni in a big city such as The University of Manchester or The University of Leeds, or you’re sticking to somewhere smaller like The University of Winchester or Keele University, you’ll have a great time. Freshers’ week is a universal experience across the UK, so you don’t have to worry about whether your freshers’ week will live up to your expectations in your head, there will be some great events happening regardless of what uni you’re going to.

How much money do you need for freshers’ week?

Getting your first student loan instalment can be exciting but remember this money needs to last you longer than freshers’ week! There’s no set number for how much freshers’ week will cost you, but if you’re planning on going out drinking there’s a chance the costs might add up.

Freshers’ week is your first week of uni, so this is a great opportunity to write up a budget and try and stick to it if you’re worried about overspending. Luckily, lots of unis will offer wristbands or passes to the events that they’re running (and some will even be free!), so you’ll only have to make one payment to attend events instead of multiple throughout the week. If you’re drinking repeatedly throughout freshers’ week, pre-drinking will not only save your wallet but will also give you the opportunity to get to know your flatmates or coursemates and break the ice.

How to stay healthy during freshers’ week

Freshers’ flu is not a myth. If you’ve heard of students falling ill during freshers’ week and the first few weeks of uni, unfortunately, this tends to be true. Plus, let’s not forget that the pandemic is still out there too. Lots of people mixing with one another means germs can spread, so you’ll want to take precautions.

Stock up on medicine so you have it ready if you start to feel sick, make sure you’ve registered at the GP, drink plenty of water and try and include fruits and vegetables in your diet alongside the hangover takeaways. Don’t forget to take a COVID test if you think you have symptoms, and follow the government guidance if you do test positive.

How to make friends during freshers’ week

Remember that everyone is in the same position as you, probably anxious and wanting to make friends. Getting to know your new flatmates can be as simple as offering to put the kettle on for everyone or asking if anyone needs to go to the supermarket together.

During freshers’ week try to keep your bedroom door open and make a flat WhatsApp group so you can discuss all things freshers’ with your new flatmates. Making friends outside of your flat can be a challenge, but freshers’ week is your opportunity to meet new people so try and get chatting to the people you meet during the week to get to know them. Remember, no one goes to uni having a set of best friends there, so everyone else will be as eager to meet and keep new friends as you are!

Freshers’ week for non-drinkers

Freshers’ week isn’t all about drinking. Although a lot of student culture does revolve around drinking if you don’t drink you won’t be the only one. You’ll be able to take part in plenty of events during the day which won’t involve alcohol, as well as signing up for clubs and societies that reflect your interests.

There’s nothing to stop you from going to freshers’ events at night time if you don’t drink, as long as you don’t mind being around noisy drunk people. But, if this isn’t for you you’ll be able to make the most of the non-drinking events and meet like-minded people at society events. Chances are, your uni will have a society for something that you’re interested in so you’ll be able to meet people with shared interests, which won’t necessarily include drinking.

If you’re preparing for freshers’ week 2022, hopefully, we’ve cleared some things up and helped you to get excited for the start of your uni journey. Remember that freshers’ is your chance to have fun and meet new people, but it’s still normal to feel anxious about the whole thing too. Go at your own pace and take in everything that the uni experience has to offer and make the most of it, as you only get one freshers’ week!