Oh heyyyyyyyyy! Long time no see (if we're not counting last weeks post 🙈).

How are we all? Good I hope 😊 Sorry about being so MIA these past few months (on the blog) and weeks (on Instagram). All I can say is that life happened and I got very tired and very busy! However, with my final year of uni (no you're in denial!) just around the corner, I thought I should bring you up to speed on what's been going on in my life, and what the coming year is bringing.


So where to begin?

For the majority of my summer I was a working girl! I know! I had an actual, proper, adult job (well internship) which meant waking up between 5:30 and 6am and catching an hour long train to work. I was working for a marketing agency and learnt so so much. I will do a proper post about my internship experience, but it was such a great, though exhausting, way to spend my summer and gave me a lot to think about in regards to what the heck I'm doing once I graduate...

After my internship I completed a small amount of work experience, working in the heritage sector in an events department. That too was a lot of fun, and included spending my days coming up with crafts for upcoming events and then helping out at them.

Yes, both of these jobs were hard, and no I am yet to have a holiday (currently looking at a December trip to Cologne to see the Christmas Markets, so look out for posts on that in a few months time!), but I would totally encourage all second years (and first years if you're keen) to look into using your summer to complete an internship or work experience, whether it's to try out a job you want to do once you graduate, or simply to make your CV look incredible. Make your summer count! (Look early so you don't miss deadlines!)



Of course, all this work has meant that I am well and truly drained at the moment. I am lacking creativity and inspiration for Instagram,  and haven't really had a moment to dedicate time to writing for this blog (all my writing energy was used at work, writing for other companies 😂). All I can think about at the moment is how much I really need to catch up on sleep right now, let alone what make up looks I could create and photograph to build my online presence. Needless to say, many ideas I had this summer got cut due to time restraints (on top of work, I was travelling most weekends).


So where does this leave me for the coming year?

I'm about to go into the final year of my history degree, whilst trying to work out where I want to be in a year. I am currently looking at graduate schemes, jobs and masters programmes, which could take me in the marketing or events industry, have me learning how to design websites or working for the NHS (name a more varied selection of life plans, I'll wait 😂).

In regards to this blog, don't worry, I'm not planning on going anywhere! I have planned every blog post for the coming year, and blocked out my week (keep and eye out for a Uni organisation post) to ensure that I, hopefully, have time to write consistently this year. Expect every post I have ever wanted to write about University life (including posts I wrote when I was still applying and never published!!), as well as the odd bit of beauty, random content, and advice from someone who's in no position to be giving advice (as usual...).  When it comes to Instagram, who knows if I'll be as consistent as I was for a lot of this summer. I would love to, but taking photographs is a timely process and due to me keeping the Uni I'm at a secret, I am limited in what I can take pictures of. I'm not leaving Instagram, I love the little community we've built and taking images for it, just expect it to be a little more sporadic for now.

So that should bring us back up to date. Congrats for getting through this ramble of nothingness. Basically, despite being exhausted and preparing to be consumed by my dissertation in the coming months, I'm not going anywhere! So prepare yourself for less sporadic blog posts, and a more sporadic Instagram feed 😇

Til next week (if everything goes to plan 😶)

June xx

P.S. I also dyed my hair for the first time, but if you can actually tell a difference then you're a genius and get a gold star 😆

Taken on the day of dying. A week later, and we're pretty much back to my weird mousy-brown-but-sort-of-blonde colour.  28 washes my hat 😂

I'm not going to lie, Fresher's Week terrified me above everything else as far as uni was concerned. Not making friends, not exams, not the work load, but the thought of getting through a week renowned for being focussed around partying, pub crawls and drinking.

For those of you that have read my blog and browsed my Instagram for a while, then you will know that I don't drink. If you want to read about my general experience living the sober life whilst being a student, then click here to read my First Year and Second Year reviews. However, for those of you that are new, lets catch you up:


I think alcohol is grim, apart from a very select few, and would rather have a glass of water than be stressing about hangovers and the like that might come for me if I drink copious amounts of bubbly.

Therefore, is it really any surprise that Fresher's Week shot terror into my heart?

If you are worried about Fresher's Week as a non-drinker or non-clubber, whether you are part way through it and hiding in your room from pre-drinks, or questioning going to uni at all due to it's drunk reputation, I am here to calm your nerves and get you through it. After all, I don't drink and am about to start my final year (!) and don't want to leave - it can be done.

What I will start by saying is that Fresher's Week is only one week and partying in the evenings is only a very small part of it. You have welcome lectures, library tours, your department may organise events (for instance, my department held a quiz) and you will spend most of your time working out inventive ways to tell people your name, where you're from and what you study. The likelihood is that your flat (i.e. the first people you will meet) will not be going out every night (and if so, they're mad!). This brings me onto my first piece of advice:



Get To Know Your Flatmates away from the evening's antics

Take a door stop with you so people know you have arrived and can say hi when you first move in. Take food to pass round as an ice breaker if you want (homemade biscuits or cake never go amiss). Chat to them in the kitchen during the day and over dinner. Suggest you explore the city together (which my flatmate did and it was the best thing ever!), collect your student IDs together, or grab free pizza from fresher's fair. If they are pre-drinking in the evening don't run away, just sit in a corner and laugh at their worsening state of drunkenness. Join in as much as you can. I know I've sat and watched before, laughing along whilst everyone else gets smashed. As long as you are strong and say no to offers of alcohol, people will let you be after a while. Have a cup of water in your hand so people can't hand you those infamous red cups. And if it all gets too much, just leave - there's no pressure to stay in the room longer than you want.

By getting to know your flatmates, you stop yourself becoming isolated from your flat, and it makes it easier to suggest doing something non-alcohol related on evenings they aren't going out. Maybe suggest a few of you watch a movie and order pizza. Maybe you could play cards or a board game one evening (I know my cards and monopoly board got well used during the year).

The university should have some non-alcohol related activities going on (especially now us sober students are more prevalent in student culture), so maybe suggest going to a comedy night or bar quiz.

If anything, by being sociable during the day, it makes the evenings when you don't join in as much feel less lonely because you are still interacting with people. Being the only non-drinker can feel isolating, so you do have to make an effort to take opportunities to stop yourself going to default isolation mode as this will only make the beginning of your university career lonely and miserable. But equally if you just want to curl up by yourself with a book or a movie in the evening that's fine - do as much as you feel comfortable with, just don't cut yourself off from everyone for the whole week.

And if you are really struggling you can always talk to your accommodation's pastoral care point-of-contact that you should be made aware of when you first arrive.

Look at little sober me, partying at Fresher's Ball!

But what if you are open to partying, just want to go sober? 

This is 100% an option. Never say never to clubbing sober, even if you're not sure. If you are comfortable with the people you're going with and the music is to your taste (pop cheese here I come!), then it makes the experience a lot easier. It's cheaper too cause water is free from the bar so you only have to pay the entrance fee! I have had some fab nights out completely sober, collecting embarrassing stories to use against my friends which they will no doubt forget. As long as the people you're going with know you won't drink and so won't pressure you into drinking, then go for it! Copy someone else's moves whilst you get comfortable, sit out when you need you sit out, and keep hydrated cause oh my gosh those places are hot and crowded! You never know, you might meet other sober partiers too - I know I've met some. Of course, if you don't like it or want to leave early then that is perfectly fine too - you are not obliged to be the sober responsible adult getting everyone else home safe. Just be sure to grab a taxi if it's late and get home safe.



Facebook is your best friend

If you are really worried about not drinking before you get to uni, go onto your University's Freshers Facebook pages and put up a post asking if there are other non-drinkers about. I asked to be added to a sober student group chat myself, and they all organised to meet up during the week for non-drinking activities. Whilst I personally never went as I was ridiculously lucky to be in a flat which weren't huge partiers or drinkers (see we exist in higher numbers than you'd have thought!), I'm sure that group chat and what they organised would have been of great comfort to the people that did need it.

Fun fact: I happen to know that a non-drinking society was formed in this way, so you never know what might happen if you put yourself out there and make plans before you get to Uni!




At the end of the day, Fresher's is not forever. Even if you end up getting through it by having movie nights every night (and make them known to your flat as someone might join you!), the nine days will fly by and before you know it you'll be wishing for the days of no deadlines and hanging with your new friends to return. If you do find yourself struggling with your flat's drinking and partying, whether it be during fresher's or the rest of the year, don't feel afraid to ask for help from your accommodation's pastoral care team or even to ask to move. One friend of mine hated her flat in first year so moved - it was one of the best decisions she made in her first term.

Finally, remember the people you meet in your first week are not the only people you will meet in uni. Attend the societies you want in later weeks and you are sure to meet people similar to you before you know it. If you are truly afraid, arrange to go home after 2 weeks of uni so you have something to aim for. I know that this really helped me get through my first few days - and I ended up not wanting to leave when the 2 weeks were up!


Good luck on your sober fresher's journey. It is more than possible, and before you know it you'll be an old third year like me begging not to leave!


Love,

June xx