Fraser Luther-Yarwood, your Vice President of Health, Education, Medicine & Social Care, shares his top five things to get involved with during Fresher's Week. 

1. Check out the Study Support Session

Ok! We are going to start with one that seems relatively boring but is ultimately one of the most useful things for you to do which will help you during your time at ARU. The drop in support sessions. During the Fresher’s period the university will be offering study support sessions around campus such as IT, Study Skills, Academic Writing and even course specific overviews. It may not be what you necessarily want but it sure is what you need

2. Go along to Freshers Fair

The obvious one is to actually go to Freshers Fair. The Chelmsford fair is September 19th and the Cambridge fair is September 21st. This is a great opportunity to find out what the university and the students’ union has to offer. You can also see which societies there are for you to join whether you like to play games with the Society of Anime, Socialising and Gaming, Table Top and Gaming Society, or simply fancy a cuppa with the Tea and Hot Chocolate society. There are a wide range of fun and interesting opportunities for you to experience in your time here at ARU and this is the best chance to see them all.

3. Come to activities

Give-it-a-go! (GIAG) Surrounding the fresher’s period is a host of different ‘Give-it-a-Go’ activities for you all to attend, including daytime events, evening events, society events and even trips to different places. These are events you do not want to miss.

4. Say ‘hi’ and socialise (even if it’s scary)

One of the best, but sometimes trickiest part of Freshers is the social aspect. Some people can socialise from dusk until dawn, but for others it isn’t so easy. The best piece of advice I can give you is to just put yourself out there. The chances are the people you meet and friends you make at Freshers might be your closest friends for the rest of your university life.

5. Have fun!

And of course, the ol’ cliché...have fun! Your time at university will undoubtedly be one of the best times in your life, that’s not to say it will always be easy, but Freshers is the time to really start your time at university with a bang. Go to events, hang out with friends, relax, explore the city, do anything you want to do…..within reason! Remember, nothing is compulsory, you can join in as much or as little as you want – just make the most of these awesome opportunities!