20 Things No One Tells You About Your First Year at DMU
Entering your first year of university is both an exciting and intimidating time. Here are 20 things I wish I had known before my first year at DMU. Keep reading for tips to help make your first year of university an unforgettable one.
1. It is really important to actually embrace the diversity.
DMU is proud to be one of the most diverse universities in the UK, embrace the different cultures fellow students are from and try to meet new people from different backgrounds. You won’t regret it once the Pakistani Girl you were nice to cooks you up a mean Biryani at 12 am.
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2. Different days have different names.
Republic Mondays, Tipsy Tuesdays (Marz), SU Wednesdays, Fatcat Thursdays, XY Fridays. And with special mentions: The Locals come out Saturdays (Females: You are much more than Free Chicken wings, so when Bossman from the Chicken shop chats you up, shut him down quickly).
3. You should get to know QEII.
The Queen Elizabeth building is where you are able to maintain your fitness and be active. Try as many things as possible, climb the climbing wall or join a campus 365 session where you can pick from a range of sport activities. And of course never will you have to skip leg day at QE gym, so say it with your chest – and work on your chest.
4. It is important to join a society.
There is no denying it, this will sound very cliché but it’s the truth; joining a society allows you to meet new people and build friendships. Whether its sports, music, or the famous DMU steppers, just triple the fun and join a society!
*Have £40 on the ready for an Active card, which allows you to join as many societies you want.*
5. Do not take Varsity lightly.
There is some sort of vibe when Varsity kicks in, a different atmosphere in training, and the smell of something that always pumps the juice out all of us: competition. Do not take varsity lightly, if you are part of a sports team do some fitness training in your own time and support the other teams as much as possible. Varsity is not exclusive for people in sports societies, so join in on the fun, it’s truly one of the highlights of the year.
6. Peri Grill is worth it.
Just go to this takeaway and order the number 9 wings box. Thank me later.
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7. The Big Tesco closes at 4 pm on a Sunday…
I did not know this until I ran out of toilet paper at approximately 4:37 pm on a Sunday – I wish someone had told me.
8. Shisha on Thursday nights.
This adds on to tip number 2. The best time to Shisha is during Thursday nights, that’s when all the Asians who dominate the shisha bars go to fat cats. From a personal opinion, Aljumeirah Shisha Garden is the place to be. Have a chilled out night, relax all cool – but for goodness sake don’t Vape. You’re in a shisha bar, how many ways do you want hoops coming outta you.
9. Tinsel town closes at 3 am.
Tinsel town is heaven sent to you, and will still be open around the time where you have a breakdown over revision, or you can’t stop crying over the drama that occurred after SU Wednesdays: he’s a rugby player, love. What did you expect? Have an Ice cream and waffles and order as many milkshakes you want. Just don’t put it on your snapchat, he can’t see you like this…
10. Don’t bother going to Kimberlin during exam season.
More specifically Kimberlin Library during exam season. Do not go, you will waste your time getting ready, trying to look good for library bae. Only to find out the seat next to library bae is taken, all other seats are also taken. There is no space, go home.
11. Kimberlin vol II.
When you are in a syndicate room, take time to appreciate and be grateful for this opportunity. Syndicate rooms are hard to come by, and please: don’t be the type of students who uses the room to snack on your monster munch and drink your chocolate milk from Tesco’s, whilst pretending to do group work. The time you spent not doing work, other students could have used to be productive. When syndicate rooms are used efficiently for their purpose, they are incredibly useful.
12. Always ask for the student discount.
Highcross is a 5 minute walk from Campus, with an array of your favourite shops and restaurants. Always ask for student discount, it’s hard to budget during your first year and these discounts do add up and saves you a lot of money. You worked hard for this university place, use that 10-20% off!
13. Frequent the Stationary Shop to stay organized.
The stationary shop in the campus centre plays a huge role if you are disorganised, every stationary necessity is here; or if you’re simply stressing out during exam season that you find the need to spend 20 minutes on choosing which highlighter to get. Show your true DMU colours by purchasing the DMU hoodies which can also be found here.
14. Make sure you actually sign in for lectures.
Some people do actually forget, always have your ID card on hand before lectures and make sure you sign in. It is also necessary to sign in every hour you are in the lecture room, assign a person, most likely the one at the end of the row, to collect the ID cards and sign everyone in; make sure you say please and buy them a peri grill after.
15. Go Global.
DMU global is there for a reason; use it to your advantage! Having recently spent 2 weeks in Beijing with DMU global, I can honestly say the entire trip has truly justified my university choice. You have the opportunity to step out your comfort zone, travel the world and learn from a new culture whilst enhancing your academic profile – GO GLOBAL!
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16. Being late in HB.045 isn’t fun.
This lecture room can fill up over 300 students and is used mostly by freshers. Imagine walking in late with hundreds of students and your lecturer staring you down like you just spoiled a new GoT episode for them, yeah… not a pretty sight. I knew an Asian kid who was notorious for this – don’t be like him. (It was me.)
17. Don’t lose your DMU IDs.
DMU lanyards are a great investment, don’t think £3 is steep, and just imagine it as £1 per year. But whichever way you do it, don’t lose your ID; it will be a hassle to sign in for lectures, the library staff will act like you need a visa to enter the library and you will have to pay for a replacement. Lanyards are cool, losing your ID is not.
18. Walk through Bede Park with company, better safe than sorry.
You will be hearing plenty of stories about walking through Bede Park- look it’s not that bad. But it’s better to be safe. So walk through Bede cautiously and with a group of friends if it gets dark and late. Just make sure Pizza Kings doesn’t see you carrying a Dominos Box – it will break their heart.
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19. Familiarise yourself with The Venue during exam season.
During exams, the venue is where most of you will sit. Familiarise yourself with this place, which is right next to the Queen Elizabeth building, make sure to make plenty of time and arrive 15 minutes in advance. Also, look up on some events the Venue has to offer; I.e. Gospel Jam.
20. Avoid walking through town before or after Matches.
Home to the English Champions, CAMPEONES, CAMPEONES. The locals are at full force during game days, avoid walking through town before or after Matches unless you enjoy the smell of beer, fags, and the strong scent of Lynx from Jamie Vardy fans. DMU has recently signed a partnership with the mighty foxes, use this to your advantage especially if it’s related to your course. Ave’ a party.
And most importantly, enjoy. Your first year will go by in a flash, appreciate everything you have and don’t take little things for granted. Welcome to Leicester, welcome to DMU.
