The Welcome Week Buzz
Updated: 7 hours ago
If there was anything I binge-watched more than move-in vlogs in the months before I moved to uni, it was Welcome Week videos. The entire concept appeared fascinating and seemed to be the epitome of the Great University Experience. Other universities would have a single move-in day or a couple days of welcome events, but our uni goes all out with a whole week of activities, fun and socialising with freshers from across the world. A week with complete freedom, no academic pressure and no expectations. Heck, Welcome Week is all that and more.
In Edinburgh, Welcome Week is usually around the second week of September, just before classes start. Notifications start rolling in around mid-August. One random day, you’ll realise the uni has updated the UoE Events app and EUSA website with the events list and you’ll be overwhelmed by the sheer number of activities- meet and greets, barbeques, beach days, Ikea trips, pub crawls, society tasters, movie screenings and so, so much more. There will be an
Activities Fair spread across two days with stalls of nearly every society in the uni (playing the Pitch Perfect societies fair scene in my head). The excitement will kick in first, quickly followed by despair when you realise there is no chance in heaven that you’ll be able to attend everything you want to. Right after you make a colour-coded Google Calendar meticulously planning every hour of seven days with minimal sleep (Just me? Okay.) you’ll get a round 2 of emails disrupting your plans with accommodation inductions and course orientations which will probably clash with an event you were dying to go to. Alas, priorities.
The best thing about Welcome Week is how everyone is new and completely non-judgemental. If you asked someone where the library was even if it was just behind you, they would smile and walk you to the entry, or if they were another lost fresher, they would look around with you. There are people from literally all corners of the world and for once, you’re on the same platform. It’s a new world and a new space for all of you, it’s your chance to let go of hesitation and talk to people. It’s such an enriching experience. Even if you end up going to an event knowing absolutely nobody, it’s unlikely that you’ll be on your own throughout. I remember going to a Mean Girls screening alone and spent the next two hours chatting with three Hungarian second-years. It was crazy, and amazing, and unexpected. Welcome Week volunteers are stationed all over the campus; they’re the sweetest people and they’re just as pumped as you to share the joy of the uni and the city – they’re just excited uni students who are happy to help out freshers and make sure the transition period is as easy as possible. (Disclaimer: I’m not officially a Welcome Week volunteer as of writing this post so this statement cannot be deemed to be a self-brag.)
The calendars for each year’s Freshers Week release sometime in August. The university has a handy app that makes it easy to see events every day and shortlist ones that you’d like to go to. Soon after, the booking for these events starts and the rush feels like first-day shows of a Marvel movie (back in phase 2 era). Remember to book tickets to events from the EUSA website, and not the app, and do it early. You’ll be surprised how quickly events sell out- especially the bookshop crawls and city tours. Trust me – been there, done that. Also – try to not book tickets for events you likely won’t attend, and if something comes up last minute, channel some compassion and put out the word. Odds are, someone is desperate for the ticket you won’t be using any more. If you're an incoming fresher, you'll not have finished your matriculation yet and will be able to book tickets by clicking the Public/Non-Matriculated student option only.
If nights out are your thing, there’s a bunch of passes you can book for events beforehand. Clubs are packed with first-years ready to party, it’s a great chance to meet more people and have the time of your life. I partied all through Welcome Week and I was not disappointed one bit. Some passes are better than others (personal recommendation - https://www.fatsoma.com/r/5d79cdc9-51c2-4c37-964f-4566cf21a440/yomkwf5b) but as long as it’s during Welcome Week, it’ll be a blast. Be on the lookout for parties and events that may be scams – if an individual approaches you on text or email for a paid event not associated with a reputed company, it may be dubious so make sure you do your research. Clubs are all 18+ and you’ll need to show ID to get in. Passports, BRPs and Young Scots NECs work in most places, just be very, very careful with them throughout the night. As long as you follow basic safety measures, you’re good. Let loose, have fun!
A lot of universities have traditions you need to uphold to be considered a “true” student. Edinburgh being Edinburgh, these traditions are closely tied to the two big landmarks- Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh Castle. I’ve heard a lot of variations of these, but in the end, here’s what I think it comes down to. You need to climb Arthur’s Seat during Freshers Week, and you can’t go inside the Castle until you graduate. People aren’t snobby about them, the traditions are all good fun, but I’ve have been following them. I know people who lived minutes away from Arthur’s Seat for a whole year and still haven’t climbed it. Pain.
I can’t stress enough on how useful student discounts are, especially when we’re surviving every day on tight student budgets. Unidays and Student Beans are the most convenient way to access offers, and it never hurts to ask for student discounts at stores. Besides Unidays, apps that are a must-have on your phone are Uber, Deliveroo, UberEats, Circuit Laundry and the UoE Events app.
A lot of people don’t realise just how impactful Freshers Week is for your overall university experience. It’s your chance to explore, no-strings-attached, and the time where you can be utterly lost and confused with no judgements whatsoever. It’s when first friendships start forming and you start finding your bearings in a completely new world. It’s an overwhelming number of events, so rest up and prep- it’s going to be a crazy, exciting, sleep-deprived week that you’ll be talking about for the rest of the year, if not the rest of your life.
P.S. Freshers Week 2022 is scheduled for 12th to 15th September, with Activities Fair on 13th-14th September. If you see me around campus (on or off my shifts as a Welcome Week volunteer), feel free to stop by for a chat! The events for 2022 are out now - check them out here! Oh and here's a quick screenshot of my gorgeous colour-coded Google Calendar for 2021 in case you wanna see how crazily packed events are. I case you're wondering, I didn't attend all of them.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned to Deep-Fried Bagpipes for new content every Friday, follow me on Instagram @diyagoel4712 for regular updates :)
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