The Freshers' Fair
The Freshers' Fair usually takes place about a week after you begin university and offers freebies, give-aways, advice and information. It is often a great opportunity for new students to mingle with other freshers, current students, tutors, and representatives from the Student Union.
Fresher's Week is a way of checking out what's on offer at university - pretty much everyone you come across will be feeling the same as you - wondering which clubs to join, anxious about making friends, not sure if they're wearing the right clothes. This is the very reason that universities arrange all these social functions, so try and relax and investigate!
Clubs and societies
All universities have clubs and societies and many of them use the Freshers' Fair as their opportunity to let you know what is on offer. There is usually a wide range to choose from including sports, drama, debating, groups for all the main religions, musical and literary genres and sci-fi and film clubs. You also may find that your course has a club or society for students studying your subject as well as groups for disabled and international students.
Clubs and societies can be a great way of meeting new people in your first weeks and the ideal chance to try new activities and explore new interests. Remember that some of the clubs and societies on offer will be more established than others so if you like the sound of a club, ask if you can pop along to the initial get together before you commit yourself! Make sure you aren't pressurised into anything and use your discretion. If clubs involve a membership fee, think carefully before you commit to a regular payment -you may feel able to part with the cash in September but if a regular payment is coming out of your bank account every month, you may regret it later on.
Services and facilities
The Freshers' Fair is a great way to find out about the services and facilities of your local city or town. There are often representatives from local entertainment, leisure facilities, restaurants, clubs, pubs, insurance agencies, travel agents, mobile phone companies, taxi services and recruitment agencies.
They are there to promote offers geared towards students and some will be competitive and discounted deals, but remember they are interested in attracting new customers - think carefully about the pros and cons of any services before signing up.
The university health care, counselling, welfare services and other agencies, all usually have stalls at the Freshers' Fair so you can get information and find out how to access support if you require it during your course. And if you miss a stall or need more information, don't panic, contact your Student Union to learn more or to find out how to get involved.
Getting the most from the fair
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Do not wait until Freshers' Week to make contact with your university or college's Disability Adviser/Learning Support Tutor, they are likely to be at their busiest then.
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Contact them before you arrive to get information and assistance with the necessary form filling which accompanies the issue of student ID cards and Student Union cards during Freshers' Week.
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Get in touch with them if you would like to arrange for someone to be your sighted guide at the Fair.
Your experiences
Robert's story
Robert has just completed his second year studying History at the University of York.
"Freshers' Fair is the main opportunity for these societies to sell themselves to first year students. It gave me an idea of the challenges I would face and how I would overcome them. Imagine a mass of students, squeezed into a medium-sized exhibition area, moving in every direction.
I'd researched the societies I wanted to join. I knew their websites inside out, the joining fees and activities, but one vital piece of information is missing - where they were in the room. So I began to search the aisles from one end to the other - until I realised that there was little point in continuing and decided to ask somebody for help. The somebody I asked turned out to be a member of the political society I was planning to join. He was pleased to have recruited a new member. Once the membership form was filled in, he introduced me to others who in turn helped me to find my other societies. Not only had I plucked up the courage to seek out help, but I now had my first network of acquaintances, who in future would recognise and help me."
Meeting new friends
Meeting new people and making new friends at University can be nerve-wracking. In the first few days, the most common topics of conversation will be 'what A' levels did you get?', 'what halls are you in?' or 'what course are you on?'. Have a few amusing stories from your gap year or summer to share to get conversation going.
We asked some third year undergraduate students with sight problems for their advice about starting university for the first time.
You can other student's experiences in our 'Student stories: starting university' pages.