Part-Way Through Fresher’s Week

I moved to university last Saturday dreading Fresher’s Week; Now it is Tuesday and I couldn’t be happier with the way things are going!

I don’t know where my social anxiety has disappeared to! I know it will probably be back soon but right now in the most socially demanding week of the university year I feel just fine.

I love my flatmates– there are 7 of us and we get along really well. 3 of us are planning to get the bus into town and go shopping next week. Lancaster is a beautiful city, although I haven’t explored it much yet. It’s only small, town-size really. It has a castle and all the buildings look quaint and old. I’m really into History as well so living in a historical city like this is a bonus for me.

On the first day our Fresher’s Reps got us all together in the kitchen to play ice-breaking games, the first event I was dreading. Incredibly, I didn’t get shy and awkward and say lame things like I usually do. We went to the college bar

Nearly University

So I don’t have anything specific to write. Because it’s still the summer, I’ve been either at home or doing stuff with my friends a lot, and social anxiety hasn’t been such a big challenge. A Level results day the other week treated me very well because I got A*AA, meaning I’ve got into my first choice university with more than the grades they were asking for! While this is great and everything, I can’t begin to think how I’ll survive Fresher’s Week, that first week of uni where it’s solid partying and trying to make friends all week. I’m conflicted between badly wanting to make friends but being terrified of doing the work required to get there. 

Everybody will be trying to make friends and be befriended. It feels almost like marketing. If I’m not charismatic enough or funny enough or whatever enough, I’m afraid people will pass me by and make friends with somebody else instead. That’s how it often goes.

If we could just skip Fresher’s Week and get to the nitty gritty of university I’d still be nervous about this, but it wouldn’t be that bad, because the social expectations wouldn’t be so in your face as soon as you move in. I’d rather try to make friends as I go about my routine than having to force myself to walk into social events all by myself. Besides, social anxiety or no social anxiety, I’m just not the type of person who goes out clubbing and drinking at night. I guess I need to find the other people like this at uni, because there will be a few. But where are you supposed to start?