1. Making friends in my accommodation 

Meeting my new flat mates in person for the first time after speaking on social media in the build up to starting university and  making plans to go out to freshers events together,  cook together, finding out about each other’s courses and deciding what to bring for university was definitely one of the best experiences of being at BU.

Being given the opportunity to find your flat mates before you move in really helps to break the ice and is one of the reasons I was definitely less anxious to start university. Reslife played a big part in helping to form a social group outside of just my flatmates by encouraging me to participate in activities and meet new people from different flats and courses and helped me to feel at home in a place that clearly wasn’t. Reslife definitely helped me to feel more comfortable about being away from home.  

2. Joining the Reslife Team for second and third year 

Reslife helped me so much during first year and all the resident assistants were friendly and really supported you to feel at home and less scared of the new found independence we had been given as a student. I enjoyed reslife events and appreciated the work they did for me and so when the opportunity was avaliable  I applied to become a Resident Assistant and help other undergraduate students in their transition into university. This was such a great experience as not only did I help first year undergraduate students to make friends but I also made friends myself and lots of great memories from events that we had organised for the students.  

 3. Freshers fairs and university activities 

Okay, so who doesn’t love a good freebie. I feel like freshers fairs are not really talked about when it comes to the university experience but they were by far one of the best parts of my experience and I went to the freshers fair every year without fail (except Covid- 19 pandemic year). As a student you learn that when you live independently the things you took for granted that were always in the house are no longer there when you need them. The realisation that nothing is free and you have to buy your own toilet paper and food is a shock to system. Freshers fairs gave you the opportunity to get freebies and my memory of Wilkinson coming every year to give me a new spatula, mini shower gel and other little bits that I promise you went to good use, will always be one of the greatest. One freshers fair I even got a toilet paper. Result! 

Turning up to campus, you would also sometimes see companies like pot noodle, jimmys’, Deliveroo and other companies turn up to give out freebies throughout the year. Another favourite is when I got katsu chicken from Deliveroo! 😊 

4. Summer Ball  

The event that made the end of the university year and was always very popular. SUMMER BALL!. Summer ball was the conclusion to your year at university and a time to go out and enjoy the sunshine, have fun with friends, get dressed up in fancy dress and listen to music. Summer ball was held in ……. And was full of tents playing different types of music and had stalls with different food choices. It was a day long event and if you could make it everyone returned to Lansdowne to the beach to be in the photo for Summer Ball Survivors. 

5. Nights out at Old Firestation and Lollipop 

I am not an avid drinker and when I do go out I like to get as many drinks as I can, for as little as possible. If this is also you, look no further. Lollipop was a student night organised by SUBU and held at the old firestation in Lansdowne. It was a cheap student night to get into and very popular because of the good vibes, student priced drinks and the close proximity to all of the student accommodations in town. Especially good if you or your friends drink a little bit too much. Lollipop was an event that most people made an effort to go to on a Friday night and tickets were regularly sold out.