A Greenwich Guide to Freshers' Fortnight - Part 2

FAIRS

Freshers fair is absolutely fantastic. Even if you don't want to join any sports teams or societies, it's worth it purely for all the free stuff you can get.

There are fairs held across all three campuses, and each one is filled with various stands giving out different stuff. There are chances to win free Nandos, iPads, vouchers etc. Various companies come along holding exclusive offers and deals, with no strings attached, purely for the fairs. I always end up coming back with several canvas bags full of sweets and vouchers and information leaflets. I'm pretty sure they were giving out free sombreros last year, which is useful as it's always handy to have fancy dress during Freshers!

It's also your chance to find out more information and sign up to the sports teams and societies. You may have seen a few posted on the Freshers groups, but this will be your chance to ask more questions and find out about meet and greets, or a little more about what they do. DON'T BE SHY. 

Every single person on those stalls was in the same position you were, they aren't horrible or scary people, and they want you to come and talk to them. There really is no such thing as a stupid question, and even if you know nothing about the sport or society in general, this will be your chance!

Anyone can join any of the societies and sports teams, you don't have to have ever played the sport before to give it a go, and same with the societies. For a full list of the groups at the university, have a look at this page here. If you can't find what you’re looking for, the SU always welcome new start-ups! For anyone in the Business School, joining a society and a sports team gets you points for your employability passport, so you lot should be first on the bandwagon.

One of the best decisions I made at Uni was going up to talk to a sports team, to find out a little bit more and go to a taster session. Generally, people tend to meet their closest friends through sports teams and societies rather than their course. This was certainly the case for me, which leads us on to the next section...

MAKING FRIENDS

This is a big worry for a lot of people coming to Uni, especially for those of you commuting in. There are a lot of posts on the Freshers pages saying "Is anyone studying _______? Worried I'm the only one! :/ "You will NOT EVER be the only one on a course. There are over 23,000 students at Greenwich, and every single one of those has been in your position, where they are a new student and don't know anyone. Even if you haven't met anyone else yet from your course, I guarantee that when you walk in to your first lecture, you won't be the only one there. Just get talking to people, a smile is contagious, and saying “Hi” and introducing yourself might make that other person's day, as they are probably just as nervous as you are! I made friends with people on my course by being put into ice-breaker groups on our first tutorial and we got on so well we ended up doing a group project together and getting a 1st!

For people moving into halls, it is extra scary, because you have to live with these people from September to June. But you have to think of it like this, and I keep saying it because it's true; everyone is in the same boat. Of course it's nerve-wracking, and of course you'll have those worries - 'What if no-one likes me?', 'What if I have horrible flatmates?', 'What if they're really messy?' - They are all totally natural and after a few days and a couple of rounds of 'I have never...' it will all go away. If there are really any burning issues, you can always talk to your RA about it.

As a general piece of advice, just talk to people; the flat next door, the flat upstairs and downstairs, the flat you share your balcony with, even people you meet in the laundry room. Facebook is a wonderful thing, so use that too to stay in the loop!

Liz

A Greenwich Guide to Freshers' Fortnight - Guest Blogger

Liz is a new blogger being featured here, who works in the Clearing team. She's here all week with hints and tips for getting the most out of your first few weeks at university.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five