Oxford Brookes, the home of amazing sports teams, incredible campuses and one of the most beautiful cities in England, Oxford. Being a Fresher is one of the most unique experiences in the world, you’ll meet loads of new people and have your first taste of freedom. However, being a fresher also comes with making some big mistakes, here are the 20 mistakes every Oxford Brookes’ Fresher makes:
We all had that flatmate that we eventually saw in Week 12 after hiding in their room for weeks without meeting you. Make sure you put yourself out there when you start University as an Oxford Brookes’ fresher and introduce yourself to your flatmates, you might even have your back when you’re making some bad decisions.
One of the biggest mistakes of an Oxford Brookes Fresher, missing the bus. You always say we’ll leave at 11:30 to get the last bus, and then that turns into 1am by the time the last game of the Ring of Fire ends. This ends up with the dreaded run up to Pullen’s Lane to run for the bus, where you end up sweaty and drunk to the unamused bus driver.
This night out also ends up with the sprint to Headington for a 9am that you said wasn’t that important the night before. You get overtaken by the allotments if you are staying at Clive Booth by the fit, healthy, undrunk students that chose not to go out. Even worse if you’re staying at Slade Park and have to have the marathon of the bus journey to Headington without being sick.
This is an taboo in every fresher’s week! Going home in the first week means you miss out on introducing yourself to the new people in your life, even if you do need to do washing! Try and stick out a month at University before going home, it will help build your confidence and give you some freedom!
Posh Nosh, the best drunk food to exist in, well forever. Located opposite Marks and Spencers it is one of the best food trucks you’ll encounter in your drunk life. This is a meeting ground for everyone you’ll have in your course, your flat and in University. This is where you get the legendary cheesy chips, and arrange the taxis back to your accommodation (which you’ll avoid paying for).
Club photographers are a different type of human, they manage to capture you at your absolute best and absolute worst. They capture you through your different University styles, and are a diary for some of your worst looks.
Your friends asking you to give you free drinks… all the time. Especially in Atik, the layout means your friends can pester you all night in the pop room, every weekend.
This is an initiation for any Brookes’ fresher, falling down the stairs in Bridge means you have fully thrown yourself into the University experience.
These are some of the best nights out, entry for £1 and £1 VK’s all night. Some of the messiest nights you’ll have, you’ll feel like royalty being able to buy all your friends drinks for the night. Normally only a couple of rooms open you’ll have the cheesy hits all night!
During Fresher’s Week there is a divide between those Brookes’ students and the Oxford students. Around Atik and Bridge, the Oxford Students look lost, as if they haven’t been to a club before, which most of the time they haven’t. Fresher’s Week is the only time this happens as the rest of the year they disappear. One of the mistakes an Oxford Brookes Fresher will make is not socialising and ignoring them, the best thing to do is make friends and see how the other side live for a week.
When you’re packing for University you think you’ll need everything, your winter coats and books you haven’t read in years. Make sure you pack only what you need because you’ll need to use the space you have in your room, take a few things for decoration and essentials of clothes. You’ll spend the year adapting and becoming yourself so leave yourself room to grow.
Students at Clive Booth are forever putting off their washing until the last minute, the walk from your block to the washing room upstairs to find that there are no working machines is one of the most disheartening things about University. You’ll also find the study room in the last few weeks which you think you probably should have used!
The fire alarm will go off a lot at University during Freshers, a lot. One of the mistakes you’ll make as an Oxford Brookes’ Fresher is not packing the right clothes to sleep in. You’ll wonder what people are up to when the fire alarm goes off in 4am and people come out in suits, onesies and (sometimes) absolutely nothing!
One of the biggest mistakes made is walking back from a night out alone to Headington! Not only is Oxford dark and quiet at night but as an Oxford Brookes’ fresher you will most likely get lost around Headington Hill, take a friend and get a taxi back!
Another big taboo at University is fancying your flatmate or sleeping with them. This leads to awkward kitchen conversations the next morning and also having to look your best to face them for the rest of the semester! Leave the romantic relationships to outside your flat, so the fun with your flatmates can carry on! If you’re staying at Clive then venture out to Dorset House, keep the romance away from the flatmates.
It’s 10pm, you’re leaving at 11 and you still haven’t done that case study that is due in at 12. Being a Fresher means you’re going to make mistakes like this, make sure you and your flatmates have a day of working so you can all drink together for your nights out!
Clerici, Headington, Harcourt. One mistake that every Oxford Brookes’ Fresher makes is turning up at the wrong campus and sitting in a class. Brookes now have an app that can help you find the room you’re looking for. This is a lifesaver so you don’t end up in Architecture when you’re studying English Lit.
If you’re staying at Clive Booth then the most important thing is to make sure you take a trip to the corner shop early to avoid being left as the sober one. The Colonnade is open late so make you are there before closing time, you don’t want to be making a trip to Cowley too late in the evening.
Before you start University as an Oxford Brookes’ fresher, they offer you wristbands for freshers week. These nights out are often packed and takes away the fun of getting lost and being spontaneous with your flatmates! Ditch the wristbands and see what happens on the night, some of the best nights are playing ring of fire with your new housemates and finding out all their secrets!
Not only are you growing and changing as an Oxford Brookes’ fresher but so are the people you’re becoming friends with. You have a few months before you even have to start deciding anything, so give some time to actually get to know the people around you, and the rest will fall into place naturally!
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