Only two years have passed since I first set foot in Lancaster, but when comparing my first ever Fresher’s week to my last one, I came to the realisation that even though the places and the people involved were more or less the same, the experiences were somewhat different.
I remember that mixture of anxiety and anticipation I felt in my first week at Uni, all the unfamiliar faces and new places filled with endless opportunities. Reminiscing about my first ever and official Fresher’s week, I must admit I can’t really give that much of a detailed description of what went on that week. And I know what you’re thinking but weirdly enough alcohol was not at fault for this particular lack of memory. It was the atmosphere that made me delirious, the zest for adventure that brought everyone together. The fact that you didn’t know what the next day/night would hold, literally anything could happen, and that made you feel scared to death but eager and ready to immerse yourself into the unknown. That was Fresher’s week for me in first year, a big blur of excitement, struggles, nerves, new friends and naturally, a tiny bit of alcohol on the side.
Moving on to my last ever Fresher’s week, it’s only been a couple of weeks since it went on and I already feel nostalgic. Don’t cringe please; I know you secretly feel the same. Never have I been more excited to be coming back to Lancaster than I was for this Fresher’s week. Not only because I knew some serious partying would go down, but also because I felt as if I’m coming back to my second home. During these two years in Uni I managed to make some really close friends and also developed a weird and inexplicable liking for Sugar. (Yep, even for the sticky floor and endless queues.) I remember going on a night out and thinking: “Lol, there are actually more third years here than first years.” This being said, as a third year fresher (yes, it’s a thing) I experienced the same amount of excitement as I did in first year, however, it was a different kind. It was the excitement of coming back to something familiar, something missed; the excitement of being reunited with the people who have become a second family to you.
The desire for partying and new adventures from first year was still there, but thanks to the considerable amount of valuable experience gained throughout the years, the methods used were far more refined.