Do Freshers have enough time to be fresh?

Warwick has traditionally welcomed its first years with a fortnight of Freshers’ events at the Students’ Union (SU) Copper Rooms and across campus, alongside start-of-term course lectures.

It’s been argued, notably in many of the manifestos of our incoming SU sabbatical officers, that having first years go to lectures in their first few days of term not only takes away from their carefree freshers’ fortnight but isn’t the most productive way to learn, either.

Warwick Sociology graduate, Maya Fowell told us that, during her Freshers’ fortnight in 2011, her department decided against first week lectures, holding only one compulsory induction lecture in the second week of term.

“Some of my other friends who studied Physical Sciences had lectures all the way through the fortnight, and they just didn’t go. You’re not going to go when you’re hungover from Freshers’.”

Maya agreed with her department’s decision to wait until after freshers’ fortnight to start lectures, commenting: “After two weeks of getting socialising and partying out of your system, you can actually focus on your degree.”

She added: “Freshers’ is like a rite of passage so you should be able to enjoy it fully.”

80% of universities ranked in the top 10 by the Guardian’s 2016 league table offer a period free from formal lectures.

Comparing with some of Warwick’s competitors, the universities of Durham, Oxford and St Andrews offer Freshers the first week of term to settle in, with no lectures during that time.

The universities of Lancaster, Surrey, Bath and Exeter offer first years an induction week free from lectures before term starts for anyone else.

Students at the University of Cambridge have a maximum of four days of Freshers’.

Imperial College London uses the same setup with a fortnight, including lectures, as Warwick.

Second-year Theatre Studies student Angus Wu told the Boar that he had enough time to be a fresher: “Most events didn’t clash with my lectures or seminars, so I don’t think it matters. First week of school really teaches nothing.”

Angus added: “I do Theatre, by the way.”

Second-year Economics undergraduate Sriram Chilamkurthi agreed, commenting: “If it were any longer, it wouldn’t be as important and people would start thinking that they don’t have to go out tonight because there are events later, whereas two weeks is perfect to go out every night and by the end of it be completely drained.”

“I don’t think it should change. Maybe mix up the events a little and have more events outside of nights out.”

The issue met with some disagreement: second-year Philosophy, Politics and Economics student, Rodney Gold told the Boar that it could affect how much you can learn in the first weeks of your degree: “With the number of activities happening freshers won’t focus. In my opinion, lectures should be held off for at least the first week.”

Newly-instated SU president Isaac Leigh commented in a blog post that discussions of Freshers’ Weeks, particularly in the media, can encourage a stereotype of thinking that they are an “extravagant luxury rather than a necessity”.

He continued that it isn’t “fair or constructive to pile academic responsibility on top of everything else when you first move to university” and commented on the disparity between subjects in particular:

“It’s frankly just wrong that a Chemistry student should have less time to attend Societies/Sports fairs, meet people and get used to campus life than an English student, simply because their degree has more contact hours.

Among Isaac’s concerns were also the splitting up of international students’ orientation week, which takes place one week before UK freshers’ fortnight; and the opportunities missed by not being able to schedule many daytime activities during Freshers’ fortnight due to course lectures, such as “cooking classes to inter-hall competitions”.

He added: “If anything, a Freshers’ Week shifts the focus away from night-time, alcohol-focussed events, and to all the other amazing possibilities of how to have the best possible time.

“The most important thing is that a Freshers’ Week offers something for everybody. You shouldn’t have to be outgoing to enjoy it, and certainly shouldn’t feel overwhelmed by peer pressure.”