Freshers' week and orientation: using it well

Freshers' week (also called welcome week or orientation) is a short, intense burst of events, admin and new faces. It can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time. With a simple plan you can finish the essential tasks, meet people and still get some sleep.

What actually happens

• UCAS describes it as a week of activities put on at the start of term to help new students settle in, including tours, themed meet-ups and sports or outdoor events.
• There is usually a fair with students' union representatives, support services and societies, where UCAS notes freebies such as pizza, tote bags and pens are common.
• Your department will also run induction sessions. Nottingham notes that some induction sessions on its timetables are compulsory, so check which ones you must attend.
• In the US and many other countries the equivalent is called orientation, and it may include placement tests, advising appointments and campus tours. Check your own university's schedule.

The admin you must not miss

• Finish in-person registration if your university requires it, and collect your student card. Nottingham asks you to bring photo ID to collect your card.
• Connect your laptop and phone to the university Wi-Fi. Many universities, Nottingham included, use the eduroam network.
• Find your timetable and the rooms for your first week of teaching. Walk the route once before day one so you are not late to your first lecture.
• Look out for an email inviting you to meet your personal tutor. King's College London says tutor invitations are sent by email after arrival.
• Register with a doctor near your term-time address in the first week (lesson ha-01).

Meeting people without pressure

• UCAS calls welcome week 'the ideal opportunity to meet people', but also says there is no pressure to meet your best friend in week one.
• Use easy openers: 'Which course are you on?', 'Where are you living?', 'Have you found anywhere good to eat yet?' Then remember one detail to ask about next time.
• Leave your door open while you unpack if you live in halls, and say hello in the shared kitchen. Small, repeated contact builds friendships faster than one big night.
• Swap numbers with people from your course specifically. They become your study group and your source of 'Which room is the seminar in?' answers.

Nights out and the alternatives

• UCAS says nights out are common but you do not have to go, and lists alternatives such as board game nights, film screenings and escape rooms. It states there is no pressure to go out and get drunk.
• Look for events run by cultural, faith or alcohol-free societies, and daytime events such as tours, sports tasters and coffee mornings.
• A simple line works: 'I don't drink, but I'm up for the quiz night. See you there?' Most people care far more that you came than what you are drinking. The Choices module covers alcohol and peer pressure in more depth.
• Go with at least one other person, keep your phone charged and know how you are getting home.

Pacing yourself

• UCAS advises giving yourself space and time to decompress and rest, because the first week can be intense.
• Plan each day with three anchors: one admin task, one social event, one proper meal. Anything extra is a bonus.
• Find out where support services are during the week, as UCAS suggests, so you know where to go later if you need help (lesson sb-06).
• Feeling lonely or homesick in freshers' week is normal, even when it looks as if everyone else is having a wonderful time. Lesson lh-04 has a plan for homesickness.