How to prepare for your first week at uni in the ‘Toon

Get Yourself in Order

First things first, get yourself organised! We can’t stress enough how much this will help in prep for your first week. To make sure you don’t forget essential items – create a packing list (check out our essential packing list for tips!), plan your travel arrangements, and ensure you have all your documents, such as your acceptance letter and identification. Trust us with this one, being organized will give you a sense of control and make the transition much smoother.

Familiarize Yourself with the Campus

It’s a good idea to start familiarising yourself with the campus as soon as possible. Have a walk (or virtual walk) around the places you’ll need to be the most like the library, classrooms, and student services – they’ll be plenty of student ambassadors around if you need help. Don’t worry if you get lost, we’ve all been there!

Stock Up on Essentials

Visit the university store to grab a much-needed notebook and a few pens (you’ll go through more than you think!). We’d suggest investing in a planner to help remember important dates – the first week will be information overload so it can help writing things out.

Plan Your Timetable

Planning your time will be a lifesaver – once your class schedule gets emailed over to you, you’ll be able to plan studying, socializing, and maybe even a part-time job around it. Make sure you create time for yourself to unwind and relax.

The Thrills of Freshers' Week

We’ve lived through fresher’s week and can confirm it will be the most unforgettable week of your life. Offering the best opportunity to meet new people and create friendships that last a lifetime, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Discover the Local Nightlife

With a huge student population and a crazy party scene, the nightlife in Newcastle offers plenty of bars and cutting-edge club nights for you to party the night away. You’ll definitely get used to partying hard on the ‘toon.

Freshers' Fair

A staple for everyone’s first week, it’s a place filled with more freebies and signup sheets than you can think of. Head down with your new flatmate, grab all the free goodies you can, and sign up for any societies that catch your eye – bonus to societies, they have the best parties.

Connect with Roommates

If you’re fleeing the nest and moving into halls, reach out to your flatmates prior to moving in – maybe create a group chat for the flat, and you’ll all be able to introduce yourselves and create plans for freshers.

Lastly, remember to enjoy every minute and create as many new memories as you can. Uni will be some of the best years of your life, take one day at a time and don’t stress over the small things.

These 3 years will fly by, trust us … we know! So, take every opportunity, meet as many new people as you can, and don’t look back.

We hope you have the best first week and wish you all the best on your uni journey, you’re in for a good one.