Fresher myths debunked

You will undeniably have been told some the following before embarking upon one of Life's Greatest Adventures - University - but which are truths and which are lies? Fear not, The Yorker is here to help you make sense of it all!

1. You have to get laid in Freshers’ Week

FALSE! Something you’ll realise fairly soon in York is that it isn’t a hotbed of a) talent b) sex, I mean, it is heard of, you’re not in some sort of cult, but it’s not the equivalent of say Leeds. Also, providing you do actually get some in Freshers Week you’ll realise that York is small enough that, yes, you will see that person repeatedly in Tru or Gallery for many weeks (and years to come) and worse, possibly in your seminar next term.

In a similar vein, it is equally untrue that you must get as drunk as possible, as quick as possible.If you get wasted on the first night you will forever be known as “The guy/girl who vommed down the stairs” which isn’t necessarily the best way to make friends! It also makes the Library Tour unbearable. In short: don't give in to peer pressure, if you don't drink, your friends should respect it.

However, don't confuse instinct with being closed-minded.

2. You need to buy every kitchen utensil and item IKEA/Tesco/Asda

FALSE! This is not true. If you live in a block of 16 people approximately 8 will have the same colander (albeit in a variety of colours) the Tesco Value pans, and at least 4 will bring a toaster, kettle and sandwich-maker. Seriously don’t. If you get there and no-one has one then we do have supermarkets, pop there and buy one. It's best to wait and see what you really need.

If, like me, you want some funky kitchen stuff, stock up on cool crockery, people will feel bad when they break it (which means that they may apologise and even offer to replace it). Then you have a fighting chance of it coming to your next house if it stands out. Otherwise, Poundland, in town, is always useful!

3. Trust your instincts

TRUE and FALSE! This is a case of balancing open-mindedness with plain old good sense. If you're walking back to campus at night and your instinct says "don't go down that dark alley": yes, trust it! In fact, always try to organise in advance who you'll be getting back home with, so you can split a cab, take the bus home (which now runs till 3 AM on certain nights) or walk home as a group. York is a very safe city, but please, please be sensible: don't wander on your own at night - and if you run into someone else struggling to get back to campus, help them out!

However, don't confuse instinct with being closed-minded. In other words: give people a chance. If there's an international student in your block who seems no fun because they don't go out, go and knock on their door, offer them a cup of tea. The whole point of living in halls is to be confronted with people you probably wouldn't have met - or liked - otherwise. Trust me: everyone has an interesting story to tell if you let them. So step out of your social comfort zone and go for coffee, it's the best way!

4. Show your true colours immediately

FALSE! Whilst you don’t want to pretend you’re a millionaire’s daughter from the south when you’re actually the daughter of a Butcher from Wolverhampton, don’t forget that you don’t know people yet, and making inappropriate jokes before you really know people may mean that you have few friends.

Time flies, it really does. You have friends around you all the time, you can do anything you want, you’re free, independent and (mainly) happy.

5. Enjoy every second

TRUE! Time flies, it really does. You have friends around you permanently, you can do anything you want, you’re free, independent and (mainly) happy. So enjoy it. Yes, work will pile up, you will get fed up of the Yorkshire weather and being skint, and you will literally murder a duck if it craps on your foot one more time, but being at York is fantastic, it isn’t the size of London, doesn’t have more than one hands worth of clubs, but it’s great, and even those downsides have ups . For the record, it means your feet rarely hurt because you can’t walk too far and you can go into a club and find nearly all your friends on any given night. So seize the day: there are so many people waiting to be talked to, experiences waiting to be met, make the most of it!

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