Freshers' Week at univeristy

Child nursing student Abbi describes her experiences of starting at Anglia Ruskin University, moving into accommodation, and settling in during Freshers' Week.

Moving on to university campus was possibly one of the most terrifying days I have ever experienced. Realising that I would have to cook, clean and be independent scared me, in case I did something wrong. 

However I was also very excited to learn and also meet new friends who had similar interests to me, which were the reasons I decided to move on to the ARU campus in Chelmsford. I was the first one to move into my accommodation, so I was on my own for the first few nights. Then my flatmates moved in and I started to get to know them which made me feel a lot more relaxed as they were in a similar situation to me.

Freshers' Fair

The University had lots of events organised for our first week (called Welcome Week) including the Freshers’ Fair. This is in a huge marquee in which there were lots of stalls; from local businesses promoting places we could go to such as Domino's (who gave us free pizza) to local taxi companies.

Student clubs and societies

There were also lots of societies there, who were trying to recruit new members. My flatmate and I decided to go along to some of the trials societies were holding. We went along to the netball and the cheerleading try outs, which were good fun and we both ended up joining one of the societies.

I would definitely advise going to the Freshers' Fair as I am now more aware of the extra-curricular activities that I can get involved in on campus in my free time. This is also where I first learnt about ARU Temps, the campus employment bureau, which I have been involved with for over a year now. It's been a great way to gain some further experience and some extra money whilst doing my course.

Local events for students

Local clubs in Chelmsford city also held freshers' events for students, so my flatmates and I decided to go into to town to have a few drinks and meet new people. This enabled us to go and see the city and establish where we could go for nights out and also for shopping. I really enjoyed the freshers' nights out as there were lots of student offers and it was also nice for us to celebrate getting a place on our courses.

There were also some events organised for those who didn’t want to go out clubbing; there were quizzes, dinners, exercise classes and movie nights. I found these events great fun as it is something different to do.

What if you're not living on campus?

I would advise those who are not living on campus during their time at university, to go to some of the freshers' events. They're for everyone, not just those of us on campus.

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Explore ARU

Abbi studies BSc (Hons) Child Nursing at ARU. Find out more about this, and other degree courses, at one of our Open Days.

If you're getting ready to join ARU this year, check out our helpful guide to preparing for university.