Our celebrity for this week is Liv Barnes (pictured on the left). She’s a first year Philosophy student, 18, and from Worcester, and she tells us here what it’s like being a fresher at uni and her experience so far!
So Liv, tell us a little bit about yourself!
Hello!! Let me see… I used to live on a farm in the middle of the countryside, but have recently moved to the big city of Manchester to go to uni. I am always up for going out in the city and meeting up with mates to have a laugh. I love going out in the evenings as well, anywhere with good music! You can see me listening to any kind of rap or hip-hop all night long, though I would have to admit my guilty pleasure is ABBA.
You’re a first year this year, what has your experience been at Manchester so far? Was it what you expected or didn’t expect?
I would say my experience of Manchester so far has been 99% absolutely awesome! When you come to uni you really get the impression that everybody is really up for making new friends and being open minded, and there were moments where you could walk up to anyone and just start a conversation. However the very small 1% includes how I didn’t quite expect to get homesick at all, but I have had a few moments where I miss my family a lot. But I have yet to find another fresher who doesn’t feel the same!
Have you joined any sports or clubs?
I have indeed; I joined UMWFC (the girls football team).
Congrats on getting a place on the team! Tell us why you wanted to be part of Manchester society and what the process was like…
The reason why I wanted to be part of a society is because I knew it would be a great way to meet people that I share something in common with. We had to trial twice to get into the team, which was nice because when we went again there were already a few familiar faces to train with. We then were watched in two friendlies to assess our abilities in match conditions and the teams were made. Another extremely vital element of this society is the initiation social, which this year was cops and robbers themed (robbers first year, cops second and thirds). We were tied together by makeshift handcuffs with a cop, and had to complete a number of interesting tasks, for example – ‘go into New Zealand wines and down the cheapest can you can find’, or ‘go into Sainsbury’s and take a picture with as many nappies as possible’. After completion we all stumbled our way together to 256 to carry on the classy night.
Why do you think it’s so important for first years to get involved in Manchester and the University?
I would say to anybody joining Manchester uni, the best of advice is to find 2 or 3 societies you really love and are interested in, and go! If it’s a sports society even better, because from the very beginning I got a real sense of closeness in the team which kind of mimicked a family as we see each other 4 times a week. You train together, travel together, party together, and for anybody worried about meeting people and making friends it’s a fantastic way to start doing so. I think there is a temptation after starting uni to just stay in halls and keep yourself to yourself, but it is so important to take that slightly scary step and get involved with these things. In the long run you feel a much greater sense of belonging to something and fitting in which is vital to someone who has just moved to brand new big city.
Best part of uni so far?
I think the best part of uni so far for me was this one night where my flatmates and I all climbed out my window onto the balcony roof of our halls, and just sat there chatting under the stars eating dorritos.
(Photo credits to Liv Barnes)