Freshers spend over £200 in their first week

You’ll spend more than £200 on alcohol and going out in the first week of university, according to the Telegraph.

First-years spend, on average, £215.83 on alcohol and going out in their first week, said the study based on results from website VoucherCodes.

Several universities reported far higher figures for their students.

Freshers at Colchester, notably a campus university, topped the list, with students spending an average of £2,879 in their first week at the University.

Interestingly, Colchester is a campus university, as opposed to a city one.

Here at the University of Warwick, a different system is run wherein first-years have a dedicated Freshers’ Fortnight, as opposed to simply a Freshers’ Week.

First-years at Warwick – unlike at many other universities – start their timetable of lectures and seminars during this Freshers’ Fortnight, missing out on a dedicated week for going out and socialising.

This does not, however, seem to impact on the alcohol consumption and going out element to Warwick Freshers’.

The Freshers social passes sold by the SU sell out extremely quickly, and last year most of the SU events were sold out and well attended.

Many students who joined in 2014 report that the start of academic timetables did not stop them from drinking and partying as much as their friends at other universities during the Freshers’ Fortnight.

Michael Middleton, a second-year Engineering student, checked back over his bank statements for the Boar. He told us: “I spent £50 on the first day of Freshers – oops!”

“The other days I spent about £20 per day, but that’s on everything, not just alcohol.”

He added that his spending on nights out has reduced since Freshers’: “I know how much I spend at Circling each week: a standard Wednesday night is £10-£15. 5-8 pints at £1.50 each plus a couple of Jägerbombs makes for a great night.”

Meanwhile, second-year Sociology student Gemma Turner said: “I’d never been much of a drinker but for Freshers I truly embraced the student culture of drinking a lot.”

She continued: “Don’t get me wrong, you don’t need to drink to have a good time and make friends at Freshers at Warwick, but me and the friends I made during that time almost definitely hit the £200 average for drinking and going out – I wouldn’t change it at all, though.”