The Secret Fresher…Post 1

I wouldn’t change anything about my gap year, not one mosquito biting, bungee jumping, culture shocking (and unfortunately) floor mopping moment of it, but the thought of University at the end has, perhaps, been one of the most exciting features of all. So as my gap year reaches its conclusion in a cloud of anti-climax, an anti-climax that involves washing up in a pub kitchen so that I can scrounge enough cash for Freshers week. I can’t help but compare it to the euphoria of this time last year when I received my A level results and finally I knew I had a place at Leicester.

However as the 28th of September draws nearer, the problems and apprehensions that I’ve been putting off suddenly need to be dealt with. This makes digesting the ‘helpful’ advice from the friends who leaped straight to Uni and therefore believe themselves qualified to dispense advice on everything and the ‘handy’ advice from family members who left University 30 years ago but still think they know how it works, much more difficult. I’ve been told all kinds of useful tips from, ‘Don’t take a cheese grater, you’ll never use it’ to ‘Take water-balloons…lots of water-balloons’ and of course the all important motto of the Second years ‘but no one EVER works in their first year!!’

Despite this the work is perhaps the thing I’m most concerned about, I’m not really worried about leaving home or my friends or about getting my results or a place in halls because that’s already sorted thanks to the gap year. I mean if we can be friends when we’re on opposite sides of the world I’m sure a trip up the M1 to Leicester won’t be a problem! I’m not even worried about making new friends when I get to Leicester, I mean there’s got to be someone I’ll get along with somewhere on the campus. I’m worried about the work. Partly because I haven’t written anything longer than my name for the last 14 months (apart from a few million wall posts on Facebook) but mostly because it’s the part of University life that I’ve thought least about. Which is ironic since University is technically about getting a degree (whatever the second years tell us.) I haven’t really given it a thought compared to all the amazing social stuff that’s going to happen. I’ve already mentally packed my clothes to accommodate for every fancy dress scenario I can think of, but actually having given it some thought I should probably remember to pack my coat too in case I spend all my hard earned tips in freshers week, can’t afford a buy a bus pass and have to walk to lectures everyday.

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