Dear Fresher,
Firstly, congratulations! You’ve got yourself through the minefield of A-Levels, revision and exams (plus the longest wait known to man to find out your results). No matter if it was your plan or Results Day went a little bit off-piste—congratulations,
because just having those qualifications is a huge deal.
I was a Fresher in 2021. We were just emerging out of the pandemic years—I wore a mask in every class for my first year (yes, even the practical dance classes my theatre degree insisted upon). Our Freshers’ Week was derailed when one of my
new flatmates caught COVID-19 three days in and had to go home—not that I was going out anyway. I was so scared of catching it that I spent the majority of my Freshers’ Week, and indeed my first year, in my bedroom either working or knitting. I have a lovely blanket to show for it, and I finished most of Chicago Med, but when I stop and look back at my first year I wonder where the memories and the friendships that you see plastered all over social media were.
Because I spent that first week after moving out scared of COVID-19, the fear carried on, and grew, and I spent the whole of the rest of the year scared—of meeting people, of going out, of experiencing life as a whole. I ate my meals in my
room. I didn’t go to the nights out I was invited to. I didn’t go to any of the socials that the only society I was a part of organised, because I had got myself in a mindset where I was scared. That was who I was. I was the Scared Fresher.
Going into my fourth year, it’s a very different story. A lot of group work meant that I have met some wonderful people who I now call my best friends, and living out of halls in my second year was the best decision I could have made, as it gave me
more freedom, independence and the chance to properly stop and breathe. I am now proud to say that I am no longer scared—in fact, I’ll be the first to give anything a go. (I tried karaoke for the first time last week!)
There are going to be hurdles, because this isn’t a movie (or TikTok). But eventually, the hurdles will seem like they’re getting further and further apart until you realise that you’re just running. It will get there, and if you’re scared? Just remember that you’ve done your A-Levels—it really can’t get any worse!
So, to the Freshers of 2024, my advice is please do not be scared. Fear becomes a routine—a routine of “I am too worried about x to do this” or “I am too nervous about x to do that”. Pushing yourself is the hardest part of university, but there is a wealth of opportunities that have just opened up before you. Try a new sport, go on that random night out. Hang out with those people who invited you round to watch a movie. At some point, one of those people might become your best friend. You might discover something you truly love. You could do what I did; accidentally walk into a society meeting in your very first week of first year and now be going into your fourth year running it.
Words by Jess Cowie