You’re sat in Alexandra Square wearing glasses taped up with a plaster wondering which way your flat is and who the person is that’s draped across your knee. For some students, this is Freshers’ Week.
The late nights, the fancy dress, the socialising until your jaw feels like it’s going to drop off; Freshers’ is all the extremes of student life thrown into seven days of chaos. How much it really reflects student life is debatable, but there’s no arguing that it’s an unforgettable week that throws you into the thick of the student experience, whether you embrace it or not.
For most second and third years, Freshers’ week dies down quickly; they open their books, get out their timetable and start facing the realities of a regular student routine. Nights out don’t become completely absent but come a close second to ever growing seminar preparation and the deadlines you’re having kittens over.
First year students will take slightly longer to adjust to a slower paced student life after inadvertently ingesting far too much foam and U.V paint for one week. But how long does it take for us students to realise we’re really burning our glow sticks at both ends?
Some students try their best to never let go; after all, nightlife is an important part of the university experience and time should always be made for that odd venture to the Carleton. But when it gets too much, when the late nights start effecting those early mornings and looming essays, how hard is it to stop, think and put away the dirty pint?
As you progress through your university experience the reality of graduation and hopefully landing a job grows closer and the thought of getting out into the real world gets scarier than ever. Those early mornings where a coffee can only cure but a fraction of the headache your nursing become much more than just an inconvenient pain, but an obstacle in the way of you tackling your expanding to-do list. When we come to realise that a presentation takes priority over a 5.00am queue for cheesy chips at Sultan’s, the more the Fresher in us waves good-bye and waits in the wings until the deadlines are done.
I like a night out as much as anyone and have had far too many awkward encounters with the stairs in Elements to even attempt to try and remember. But as much as we all enjoy a good night out dressed as every shape and size of animal, in reality, Fresher’s Week can’t last forever.
So, on that bleak note let’s make the most of it while it’s here, crack out the clown outfit, play ring of fire until you can sit up no longer and speak to people for hours who you’ll probably never speak to again. Because for most of us, in a couple of weeks, those nights of getting kicked out of a club when the sun comes up will be few and far between, well, until the weekend that is…
