Here we go again. Just as the bustle of August’s fringe season finally dies down, freshers’ week rolls around again, and the streets of Edinburgh become filled with the thousands of first-year students commencing their studies at the University of Edinburgh. For many students, this is an exciting moment and their first real taste of independence; moving away from home, making new friends, figuring out their responsibilities, and starting new hobbies. But for students in their second, third, and fourth years of study, freshers’ week celebrations and returning to university are not necessarily as exciting as they were the first time around.
As a third-year student myself, I was surprised and confused to see people around me during freshers’ week stopping in their paths to point out and take photographs of landmarks around the city, such as Arthur’s Seat or Edinburgh Castle. I did the same when I first came to this city, but in the time between now and my first year, these landmarks have faded into the background, and I never really take time to acknowledge them anymore. That feeling of excitement and curiosity about my surroundings has been replaced by familiarity, and although it can make the city feel duller than it once was, I am appreciative that these days I can get places without relying on maps to guide me.
It is not just the city itself that I feel more familiar with this freshers’ week, but the people who inhabit it. The more time I spend in Edinburgh, the more it feels as though somehow I am connected to almost every person I see. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. Many of my peers from second to fourth year agree that feeling like you bump into someone you know every day is better than feeling like a silly little fresher with no friends in the city.
Some students have also said that knowing more people in Edinburgh makes them feel more confident going to events organised by the university’s many societies. One student said: “Now I have friends to go along to societies with, I’ve gone to more taster sessions this freshers’ week than I ever did during first year.” Many students returning to university use freshers’ week as an opportunity to step out of their comfort zones and try out new hobbies, compared to first year, which for many students “revolved around drinking” and going to a club every night.
Whilst the nightlife may be the highlight of many first-year students’ freshers’ week experience, I have found it to be much less significant now that I am beginning my third year. Whilst my first-year self may have happily spent hours queuing up outside a club just for it to charge me over £10 on price-gauged entry fees, third-year me realises that those sacrifices really are not necessary components of a good night out. My friends and I have found ourselves spending many more nights at pubs, or flat parties, or the handful of clubs that still offer free entry this freshers’ week. This has saved me a substantial amount of money and (touch wood) has even saved me from catching the freshers’ flu.
Our university experience begins with first-year freshers’ week, but it is not defined by it. Now more than ever, I realise the importance of keeping a balance between the social and the academic aspects of university. There are similarities between the progression into honours years and the jump between secondary school and first year of university; one student even said that the added pressure on their grades this year made them “feel so nervous, it’s like being a fresher all over again”. But before we are immersed in our busy schedules or trapped in the library every day to complete our assignments, freshers’ week is always a great way for students to spend quality time with friends, and to settle into a new chapter at university, even if the celebrations are different this time around.
Image by Mark Chan for The Student.