Harry talks about what to expect during Arrivals Weekend, from stocking up on essentials, experiencing your first night, and getting to know new people.
For many – including myself – arrivals weekend creates the most paradoxical feelings: excitement clashes with uncertainty and that strong urge to fly is often coated with a desire for home comfort. But whatever your arrival weekend brings, hopefully my anecdotes can give you a little bit of what to expect, from someone that isn’t too fond of the unexpected.
The drive, or however you decide to travel, will feel surreal. Knowing that you aren’t returning home for 5-12 weeks for what is usually the first long stint away concocts a lot of strange emotions. Take it from me, don’t bottle those feelings up, and do not expect yourself to feel right as rain straight away. Allowing yourself the space and time to deal with the shock of being away from home will help you settle in easier later on.
Whether it’s Aldi, Sainsbury’s or even Marks & Spencer’s for some of you, the shops will be heaving as people grab essentials. It might be a good idea to just grab what is necessary (and this will change depending on your lifestyle choices) whilst it’s so busy and then get anything else later on in the week.
Briefly introduce yourself to your flatmates, but don’t expect a massive lore drop on who they are and where they’ve come from. They are just as busy as you, so save it for later, as everyone is winding down from such a hectic day. Take whatever space is free in the kitchen before moving on to your room, and as a tip, maybe save dressing your room for after your parents have left, so you aren’t sitting about with little to occupy yourself with.
University tradition will have it that everyone goes out on their first night at university, and if you are an August baby like me, it could be one of your first experiences on a proper night out. If you do drink, be responsible and look out for your new flatmates. Remember that you’ve just had an incredibly long and arduous day, so don’t force yourself to stay out until 4am if you really do not want to. You are likely going to be trying to become a makeshift social butterfly in your first term, so time to yourself is vital of self-care.
You could be like me, who is living with the first guy he met on moving in day in second year. I should remind you though that a lot of people who you meet on moving in weekend, you are likely going to walk past awkwardly, pretending you don’t recognise them for the rest of the year. Real friendships will form over time, and that time stretches over the whole of first year. If you don’t feel like you’ve made many real connections with people, that is normal.
Make sure you check in with yourself throughout Arrivals Weekend regularly, and the good things will follow. Most importantly, have fun!
Film and Creative Writing BA
I'm Harry James, I'm an undergraduate student studying BA Film and Creative Writing.
