11 Sept 2019

Advice to Ignore - September Posts

When I first saw this prompt in the list of posts, I was really unsure of what to write about. Was I supposed to make a really sarcastic post where all the advice said things like "Lick a Wall", or if it was supposed to be a "I did this so you don't have to" type of thing. I'm going to try and do a post a bit more like the second post, since I don't really want to be responsible for a lot of people falling ill due to licking a wall. So what to advise people? Well, with freshers week coming up, I think that that is something appropriate to make an advice to ignore post about. So, here we go, here's four pieces of advice for freshers week, that you can choose to ignore if you wish!

1) Don't hide in your room after your parents leave

As tempting as it is, try to go out and meet your new flat mates, even if you just spend an hour or two hanging out in the kitchen!  am someone who likes to get everything unpacked and get settled asap, but if you are this type of person, try to prop your door open with a door stopper or a heavy box (since my door was a fire door so it was really heavy, and my door stop was a bit useless). 

I do regret not bonding with my flatmates sooner, I was really scared of them at first, but now I am moving in with three of them and they have become some of my closest friends! But there was a reason why I didn't feel extremely social that day, which brings me to point number two...


2) Try not to get ill before you even move to University

So, I was unfortunate enough to catch a stomach bug on the day that I moved to University. It went around my family, with my poor nephew being the most recent one to catch it before I moved,and so they wanted to give me a goodbye present I would never forget! 

I did think that it was just nerves from moving across the country on my own into a flat with a lot of strangers, which part of it probably was, but then there was everything else that comes along with a stomach bug and it was clear that I was also just not very well ( I will spare you the details!). I managed to make it in for my first day, but I did miss my second day. I was more worried that people would think I was skiving because  was too hungover to come in rather than genuinely not very well, but I think I fixed my reputation within a few weeks when people realised I didn't really go out and that I had not missed a day since. 


3) Don't go crazy on a night out (or feel pressured to go out)

This is one a lot of people will probably ignore, since students infamously drink their weight in alcohol on freshers week and test their drinking limits. I would definitely advise against this since not only is it bad for you, but it is also unsafe. You are in a completely new place, and with new people so you don't know who is your friend or who will look after you, you could end up anywhere or with anyone. Who knows what could happen in that situation. 

I am not the type of person who really likes to go out. I understand going out on freshers week will be a great time to meet the new people you live with or who are on your course, which is why I am not completely advising against going out. But if you are like me, and going out really is not your thing, then there is no shame in staying home during freshers week. My university did many things for non-drinkers, such as a movie night, where we all watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and a murder mystery night.  Check with your university to see what non drinking events are going on, and that is a great alternative to meeting new people without having to stay out too late or without having to drink. Often these events are free too, meaning that you do not have to spend any of that precious student loan!


4) Make a Flat Group Chat as soon as you can!

Group chats are infamous causers of unnecessary drama, so I can see why you may not want to create one straight away. However, there were a few situations in the flat that happened in the first week where a group chat would have been very helpful!

First of all, one of out flatmates managed to lock herself in her bathroom, and since she didn't really have any way of communicating with us, we did not realise what was going on. I have no idea to this day how she managed to lock herself in her bathroom, but she was in there for quite a while apparently before security came to get her out. We probably could have helped out a lot sooner if we had a chat. 

Also, there was a situation where I was still ill, but I was feeling well enough to do some cooking, so I decided to try and make some fajitas, when I caught my thumb with a knife. Usually I just shake this off and put on a plaster and would just carry on with my coking, but since I was not very well, I felt really faint and had to lie down. Since three of my flatmates were on my course I just dropped a message in the Musical Theatre group chat explaining the situation and that I would come back in the kitchen in about 5 minuets. I didn't want to make a bad impression by leaving all my mess out. This worked out fine, but the other three flatmates who weren't on my course may have thought different if they went into the kitchen, so this is where a flat group chat may have been handy. 

We survived without one in the first few weeks, and it was helpful when we actually made it, but there were a couple of little situations like the two above that could have been avoided had a message been put in the chat. 


There's a couple of tips I have for freshers week, you can choose to ignore this or take the advice on board, it is completely up to you! Everyone has different feelings and experiences so what I advise may not help everyone.

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