When you first start university it’s hard to know what to expect. You hear of the much-anticipated freshers week but it’s hard to know what exactly it is and what it involves.

Things can often be very different to what you expect and it’s great to prepare for this. Freshers week activities really stretch across two to three weeks - from Monday 12 September onwards, and Monday 19 September is the first day of term and teaching. The Freshers Fair is from 27th - 29th September. 

Here are six of my expectations vs reality relating to freshers.

EXPECTATION: Freshers events are only held at the university

REALITY: Queen’s University and the Students' Union hold lots of fun freshers events but it doesn’t stop here; freshers week is city-wide with promotions and events being held by many businesses all over the city.

My favourite freshers event was the Fresherfest held at Limelight. This was a massive fair attended by top brands including CoolFM, Tayto, Red Bull, Dominos, Spar, Pepsi, Ikea and many more. Alongside these cool stalls, students also got a free goodie bag and lunch. The free Dominos vouchers had to be the highlight of my freshers week!

This years freshers is set to be bigger and better than ever as the past two years have been seriously affected by COVID-19.

EXPECTATION: Freshers is just a student university information event

REALITY: Nope! Many new students have this idea that freshers week is mainly a university welcome week full of information to help you settle into university life. However, freshers week is so much more than this. It’s a fun week of events, club nights, offers and promotions from local businesses and LOTS of freebies.

Alongside this, Queen’s University showcases what they have to offer, opportunities and ways to get involved in the university throughout your time studying. This involves informative events and stalls on campus about societies, support services, social activities and helpful student information.

A great part of freshers week is the wide range of events and promotions held by businesses around Belfast. These are great fun but also give you a chance to explore the city, check out student night life and meet lots of new people.

Lots of businesses in the city centre also offer discounts for new students during the start of the new university semester so make sure you check them out!

^{Look out for Freshers events in Victoria Square}

EXPECTATION: You’re going to meet your university best friends for life

REALITY: A common misconception of freshers week is that you’ll make friends for life or those you meet will become your friends to the end of university. Whilst this may be true in some situations, for example, instantly getting on with some of your first-year flat mates, moving in together and therefore becoming long-term friends; the pace of freshers week means the people you meet during the week might be friends for different lengths of time.

Get ready to make some friends

As your time at university evolves, you’ll find your own interests and the groups of people you click with. It’s nice to have a group of friends or acquaintances who you can go out clubbing with which is what you’ll want for freshers week, but the reality is you’ll need friendships that go deeper than this to make the most of your university experience. Going out drinking gets boring (and unaffordable!) so it’s important to make friends who share other interests and want to do lots of different activities with you.

EXPECTATION: It’s all drinking

REALITY: Freshers week can be seen as a massive drinking event but really there is a lot more to it! Freshers is great for those of all interests and if you don’t drink or like to go clubbing there is still plenty for you to get involved in such as SU social events, fresher fairs / stall events and Queen’s university’s own information events.

Don’t ever feel like you’re missing out if drinking isn’t your thing – my favourite part of freshers was the different stalls and information around the city, and I went to very few drinking events.

^{There's more to Freshers than just pints!}

The stalls on the university grounds were super helpful when it came to setting myself up for the rest of my student experience; for example, I was able to get photos taken for my own Translink student card which, to this day, saves me 1/3 on my travel to campus and I signed up to a few societies which have been key to meeting new people with similar interests, and developing throughout my time at university.

EXPECTATION: You’ll be super rich with your student loan and living the high life in your new luxury accommodation

REALITY: I wish this one were true! The truth is freshers will involve many takeaways, lots of dishes, and Ikea trips. You’ll probably end up with a dirty house, your mates staying on your sofa and when you calculate the student loan, you’ll realise it adds up to a few quid a week and that freshers has went completely over budget. However, freshers is a once in a lifetime experience and you’ll make memories which you will look back on for years to come.

^{Get ready to eat plenty of takeaways} 

If you spend a lot during freshers, you can make your last few pounds stretch quite far if you are smart with your money and choices. Some ways of saving money include, cooking with your flatmates instead of all cooking separate meals therefore you will save money when buying food and not going overboard when doing Ikea trips – there’s no point having 4 sets of oven gloves all in the same flat!

EXPECTATION: The fun ends after freshers week is over

REALITY: This is far from the truth. There are numerous events throughout the university year where the fun continues. Make sure you sign up to any societies that take your fancy at the freshers fair. Most societies will host fun events throughout the year from formals to pizza nights.

You’ll also make great memories with your flat/house mates as time goes on; break the ice with some drinking games and make some memories together!

^{Keep the good times coming by joining a club or society!}

Belfast has a lot to offer outside of university life; with great places for shopping, food, drinks and sightseeing you won’t find yourself getting bored. Not to mention with the new Student Centre and Students' Union opening, life on campus will be buzzing. The Union Bar in the SU and Mandela Hall will host various events every week such as quizzes, bingo, and parties.

Find out more

Students' Union

Pre-Semester Events

Your Freshers Guide

Claire Ford Business Management with Placement Year | Undergraduate Student | Belfast, UK I’m a 21-year-old based in Belfast. I have always had a passion for business and entrepreneurship which led me to business management at Queen’s University. Alongside my studies I am an entrepreneur, content creator and blogger.