Fresher’s week for me in 2023 was honestly a mix of excitement and confusion. I came to Surrey to study Law and even though I told myself I was ready, the moment I arrived on campus with my suitcase I realised I had no clue what I was doing. Everyone around me looked like they were trying to act confident but you could tell we were all in the same boat.

The first day felt strange in that way where you are trying to settle in but also trying not to overthink everything. I met my flatmates and we all did that polite small talk but underneath it, we were all hoping we would get along. It actually helped that no one was pretending to be some perfect version of themselves. We were all just trying to figure things out.

Fresher’s fair was busy and loud and a bit chaotic but in a fun way. I ended up signing up for things I never expected. Cheerleading was the biggest surprise. I went to the taster session thinking I would be terrible and I kind of was, but it didn’t matter. Everyone was friendly and it was one of the first moments that week where I stopped worrying about how I looked.

I also went to a games night and that ended up being one of the easiest ways to meet people. It wasn’t awkward like I thought it would be. You sit down, start playing something and suddenly you are talking to people like you have known them longer than a day. It felt relaxed and normal, which was exactly what I needed.

And of course I went to Rubix. I went with people from my course and even though we barely knew each other, by the end of the night we were dancing and laughing at everything. There was a moment where someone tried to start a conga line and absolutely no one joined in, but we still did it anyway. It was embarrassing and funny and somehow made us all feel closer.

Looking back, the best part of fresher’s week wasn’t one specific event. It was the feeling that everything was new and open. I didn’t know who my closest friends would be or what societies I would stick with, but that didn’t matter. It was just about trying things and letting myself enjoy it without putting pressure on anything.