Achievement Guide: Fresher’s Week Edition

To follow up on an earlier post I made, for today’s post here is a fun collection of badges of honour and shame you can award you new and old housemates, this time focusing on the period of Fresher’s Week/Month (depending on your institution) for their endeavours in kicking off the start of the new academic year. Your winners (or losers) needn’t be freshers themselves and these are formed from my own fond memories of undergraduate life as well as those from when I was a student warden and Masters student.

Big Spender

This is for the one who played the welcoming weeks, hard. The one who drank the bar dry, who managed to buy an entire new wardrobe, the ones who felt they could show Vegas how gambling is done, or cashed in on their independence and bought the finest food for their first meals as independents. Whether they’ll be on Noodles for the rest of the semester remains to be seen, but for those few weeks for them and their potential new found friends, it was totally worth it.

The Calender

In a tribute to a dear friend from uni, there are often people looking for fun and seeking beyond the boundaries of friendship. Given you may not know everyone very well yet, there can be a lack of obligation felt to stick to any one person you may have travelled the bases with or at least exchanged contacts with. So this is for the people, who can count off names across their day(s) of outings to the tune of a Craig David classic.

The Troublemaker

When it’s only been a couple of weeks, there’s always one or two that manage to break some form of rules and you can tell are going to be trouble in one form or another. Keep an eye out for these and prepare to offer a kind hand or a word of caution. If they are beyond your help, at least if you’re in the right place (in the UK) and the right time you may be able to get an easy £250!

Challenge Accepted

In this modern age of social media, challenges are everywhere and achieving them all for some is a true sense of gratification and belonging. Whether it’s taking buckets of ice, replicating choreography or raising money for charity – these people are up for anything and will do all they can do win the task.

The Illusionist

Whilst there are many students who are visible and social creatures, there are some that are rarely seen, but known to be there by things magically moving in your house/apartment/dorm as if by itself and others that seem to have developed a teleporting technique to allow them to appear behind you out of nowhere without you hearing them ever leave their room. Likewise they can vanish into a crowd in seconds and never be found again for the rest of the day or night, maybe turning up again unexplained by your side.Finally, there’s the type of people that remain visible to you, but seem to be able to pull out just what you need out of nowhere – such as gum, a drink, random tools or your handbag/purse that you said you needed – which is helpful, but how did they know to have it?

The Buff

Every shared house or dorm has one – be it film, music, stage or sport and if you, like me are someone that doesn’t know much about many things you are often the one to be educated. On the plus side you get exposed to a curated and pre-screened list of great new stuff to potentially enjoy. The downside, it feels like taking another module or class at uni with the consuming and learning of the facts being your assignments that you’ll be tested on later.

Split Personality

Already on the slippery slope with attendance, there may be a few new found friends that decide that last night’s party was a little too good and would rather sleep in, despite knowing that skipping class may affect their performance negatively, so feeling like a good friend you agree to sign them in or swipe their ID card (where applicable), meaning they’ll effectively be there for a large percentage of their course, but also get to sleep off their hangovers.

 

What accolades can you think of for your friends, new and old during the first week or few on campus? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

 

Mike

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Achievement Guide: Middle Years

During the few months I’ve been writing on this blog I realise I’ve spoken a lot about your first year and final year as undergraduates, as well as a little towards postgrad and feel bad I’ve not really covered much on what to do in the middle of all of that.

So for the first in a small series of posts I’m focusing on you guys. Whilst this isn’t a bucket list per se (more of that in the future), here are the badges of honour or shame you can award to your housemates and friends of second year (and third if you’re on a four year course or any in-between number if you’re on a part time) for their various endeavours. Pictures to come!

Two Minutes to Midnight

This achievement is for anyone out there who makes a start on their assignment the night before. Now when I say that I don’t mean at 4pm. We’re talking a few hours before most children go to bed and are still going before all the adults join them. Bonus points to those that still pass.

The Butcher…

This one is for the chefs of student houses (despite the title, Veggie and Vegan Chefs are included!) The ones who cook you dinner once in a while and you feel like you’re in a restraunt. The one who fills up your accomodation with amazing smells, and occasionally drives you out when they set of the fire alarm!

…The Baker…

Like the butcher, the baker is the reason you rarely visit Krispy Kreme, Greggs or Country Style. From the smell of fresh bread to worktops filled with cookies and biscuits, these will be the people keep us smiling all the way to the dentist (where you can get some replacement knashers to fill it out with again).

…And the Candle Wick Breaker.

Slight variation on the phrase as unlike their counterparts these guys are the flame lovers of the house. Filling your place with the latest scent, providing a great alternative and back up plan to your electricity (when the fuse goes or you forget to pay the bill) and becoming the masters of romance and the nemesis of your accommodation officer.

The Fairly Odd Parents

These are the responsible leaders of many circles of friends. Sometimes of parental responsibility, some just born to look after. These are the guys that ensure you get your required food, bully you into doing your work, lend you a bit of cash when you spent a bit too much last Friday Night or had to pay out for those expensive bills. Make sure to remember to get them flowers and or beer and wine on your respective Mother’s and Father’s Days in your country!

Master of the House

Who needs to go out for a night on the tiles, when you can sip a cold one with the friend who’s furniture is made out of crates. Need a beer? He’s got it. Wine? In the kitchen. Top shelf? Look up. This achievement is not necessarily for encouragement to alcohol, merely one who can enable you should you need something to predrinks. On the plus side, you know one present to get them at Christmas.

The Lost Boy/Girl

Here’s to the ones that can still party and drink like a fresher and still make it to Lectures in some way shape or form. Realising that this year counts, they put in what effort they can but the idea of “growing up” and being responsible doesn’t seem like their prioirty right now. Fair play to them if they still want to live a little.

 

Have you got any accolades you’d give yourself or your peers? Are there any you disagree with? Feel free to leave me a comment down below. If you like the idea of these posts I’ll release some more this year for the other years of college and university.

 

Mike

 

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