Thousands of freshers flood campus

The arrival of around 3,000 freshers last weekend marked the start of Freshers’ Fortnight.

Over the weekend, the piazza and Students’ Union (SU) played host to stalls welcoming the latest additions to the University’s population.

Commenting on arrivals’ weekend, the SU’s sports officer, Natasha Cabral said: “It’’s been really good with a buzzing atmosphere on campus. It’s great to have everyone back in the bubble again.”

The SU’s stalls provided the sought-after freshers’ bags containing free treats for first years as well as plenty of information on upcoming activities.

Societies eager to draw in new recruits were on hand to showcase themselves. Radio Warwick (RaW), the University’s student-run radio station were also in attendance, broadcasting live at the event.

A small army of student Freshers’ helpers along with members of Warwick Welcome Service provided tours of the campus and were on hand to answer questions.

The Freshers’ Fortnight sets Warwick apart as most universities offer only a weeks induction but, unlike most other universities, introductory lectures and seminars also take place throughout Warwick’s Freshers’ period.

Students have expressed annoyance over the overlap between the social and academic inductions in the past, with demands for a lecture-free Freshers’ week.

However, the success of the fortnight does not seem likely to be affected. The SU’s Freshers’ passports, and platinum passes sold out.

In great demand were tshirts for the Unitrash Welcome Party in the SU’s Copper Rooms which sold out in a very short space of time.

First-year English Literature student Nada Showman is enthusiastic about Freshers’ Fortnight: “I’ve already met some lovely people and am ready to get going with Freshers!”