Get involved in first year

There’ve already been a couple of articles this term that have advocated doing as much in your first year as possible, getting involved in societies, sports and other things. Here I’m also taking that stance, but for a more depressing reason.

Not everyone you meet at Uni is going to be your friend for life. It’s sad, but true. You might think it’s obvious to say, but let me level with you, and I’m especially talking here to those in their first year here at Warwick. Often you don’t choose who you live with, and that can cause problems.

When you arrive you often want to get involved in as much as possible. That’s why so many freshers leave the societies fair with a lot of barcodes and far less money than they did when they entered. However, when you arrive, often the first people you meet are your flatmates. It’s a little daunting at first, but then you remember that they’re in the same position, probably living away from home for the first time, just as eager to make new friends as you.

I implore you to give some societies a go.

The first few weeks are great. You all go out together, get varying degrees of drunk, spend lots and lots of time together, and often you think “this is it, I’ve found those friends for life, and this is so awesome.” You don’t go to societies. Why would you need to? You have your friends already. Then things can sometimes go wrong.

Just like any sort of relationship, too much too fast can lead to burnout, sometimes to spectacular degrees. You begin to slowly realise, as you spend more and more time with these people and the afterglow of Freshers has worn off…you don’t really like these people. They might not even like you (no idea why, I think you’re great, they’re just wrong.) Suddenly you panic, as the time comes to pick accommodation and you realise…you might not want to live with any of these people. You’re not sure who your friends are at university any more. Suddenly everything’s not so great.

That’s why I’m writing this now to implore you to give some societies a go. More often than not, the people in the societies you’re interested in will have more in common with you, even if only for that shared interest. It gives you an opportunity to meet a wider variety of people. You can identify the people in the societies who are your best mates, without being forced to spend all your time with them. Then, who knows? You might even find one of your friends for life, and not just ‘til Christmas.

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Header Image Courtesy of: Flickr.com/sadiehart