All the glaringly obvious ways to spot a fresher, according to a fourth year student

The time has come for the freshers to come swooping onto campus, all ready and prepped for the best three years of their lives. But as veterans, or second and third year students, it’s easy to spot them from a mile away. Silly fresh may think they’re being super low key, but seasons students know all the signs of a first year. Trust us, we’ve been there. So, from lanyards to photographs, here’s how to spot a fresher and what to look out for, by a fourth year student. 

1. The lanyard

Do you know that exciting rush that comes when you get given the lanyard of the university you worked so hard to get into? Yeah, get over it because that’s the boldest indicator of a fresher. It’s sweet at first, but realistically you’ve become fresh bait for someone to probably take advantage of the fact you’re new here, and sit in your booked seat. Plus, when do lanyards ever look good?

2. Wearing Freshers’ wristbands

I get it, it gets you into every club night and you need it to socialise, that’s valid! But, it also doesn’t make it a key element of the fresher look. And don’t get me wrong, there will be non-freshers with it, but that’s a whole problem in itself that we don’t have time for. You don’t need to keep it on your arm for months after Freshers’ Week. 

3. Becoming a campus photographer 

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Your library is beautiful in the sunlight, and the SU may look pretty, but your consistent pictures of it are a dead giveaway of your fresher status. I understand though, you want to show off your new lifestyle to your friends at other universities or at home, but maybe put the phone away a little more often. Having to constantly dodge silly freshers on the way to a 9am is a sure fire way to get yelled at. 

4. Being an enthusiastic decorator 

If I was living in first year accommodation again, I would also want to decorate it as much as I did before – who wants to live in an undecorated prison? But do freshers take it too far? Maybe that IKEA order was a bit bigger than you anticipated, and that’s okay, you’ll know to dial it down next year. You’ll find that you end up leaving half of your crap in first year and by the time you reach third year, you just stick up a strip of LEDs and you’re good to go. 

5. Arriving early to your lectures

Punctuality is everything, but so is 20 minutes more sleep which you will want in a few months time. Standing outside the lecture hall before the tutor has even arrived can be humbling, maybe that experience alone will provoke you to come just five minutes before it commences. Just taking one look at the pack of people huddled outside the doors is an easy enough guide on how to spot a fresher.

6. Travelling in large packs

University can be a scary, large and daunting place; who better to tackle it with than the large pack of friends you made in the last week? It’s good to set yourself up with a support system early, but it’s not always necessary to travel as a pack. Freshers can be spotted a mile off because they stick to the first friend they make and proceed to surround themselves with as many people as possible to get through the week. It’s tough out there, but we all survived it. 

7. Adding everyone on Snapchat

The eagerness to add everyone who you meet in the street or on in your accommodation hallway on social media is big fresher energy. You will find your people – there’s no need to add everyone you meet on Snap or Instagram. Chill!