My Ultimate Crash Course

Hello again to one and all.

So I'm here. I'm in Nottingham for University and I have just been through (and survived may I add) my fresher’s weeks. I must admit, right now I'm feeling more like death than anything else. But still, as best I can I shall try to reflect on what has been an incredible week.

Now, one of the main worries of any fresher when they start is am I going to make new friends? Will I be all alone in a place where I have never socialised, let alone lived before? Of course those worries disappear almost immediately as everyone is basically in the same position. I have lost count of how many times I have smiled, waved and talked to people I have never met before in my life. The first night was interesting because at first you have only been in your flat so when you go to another one to pre-drink you get that feeling of apprehension that you had only just felt at the beginning of the day.

I need not have worried though because everyone I have met has been extremely friendly & welcoming to anyone who wants to have a chat. My flat is awesome! Four girls and two guys, including me so a nice balance ;) So thanks to them for helping make this week a great experience, along with the friends I've made from other flats & from my course induction. Credit must go to our reps as well. They have been a proper source of fun and advice (nothing educational though which is perfect) and generally helping us through fresher’s week.

A special mention must be made for the chants on the bus on the way to the clubs. Hilarious but unfortunately stuff that can now be typed in full, in case of offense caused to not only normal web surfers, but to residents of Gill Street so I'll just stick with the best one;

T.R.E.N.T! We are the T.R.E.N.T Army!

It's kind of weird actually. You're with people for a week and it feels like you have been with them for years. There might even be the case where you spend loads of time with people this week but now our courses begins, you might barely see them, let alone talk to them. Either way there's always facebook ;)

And now I come to the matter of the clubs. Put simply Nottingham nightlife is awesome! Ocean especially has a great atmosphere not to crowded plenty of space for general movement, to dance & of course whatever you wish to do on the dance floor ;) Of course you can do this at other clubs too, and you'll probably get more special guests in a place like Oceana for example. For example Reggie Yates was in there Wednesday night that was a good set after technical problems were sorted. Overall though, very good nights occurred out and about in Nottingham. It's probably helped by the fact that for most places drinks are relatively cheap. Whether that will stay the same now fresher’s week is done & dusted remains to be seen.

In addition there was the slight matter of course induction this week. I actually enjoyed what was in the end basically a sightseeing trip so now I have some rough bearings of Nottingham. I'm going to need it. The Broadcast Journalism course has got a lot of practical element, which look really fun and perfect to get stuck into, but that will need a good understanding of the local area, but I'm sure that will come with time as the year goes on.

So all in all a very good week. It certainly exceeded my expectations anyway. Now the hard work begins. I've got my first 10-4 day tomorrow which especially after not doing proper work for nearly four months could be interesting, then later is Swimming Trials. Words cannot describe how much I want to get onto the competitive team. After really enjoying watching it at the Olympics and the fact it is one of the sports that makes up the Charity Varsity Series between Nottingham Trent & Uni of Nottingham, I have this real urge to try out another sport and see if I'm any good at it. You never know. I take inspiration from the fact the Olympic Gold Medallist in boxing, Team GBs Anthony Joshua only took up boxing only four years ago, then won Gold at London 2012. If I'm unsuccessful then I'll still go for the social stuff and fitness. Hey, I need to work off the weight put on from all the booze & pizza consumed this week somehow!

So to conclude, I would say that this has been my Ultimate Crash Course in University life. And I would like to think that I, my flatmates & new friends have passed with flying colours :-)

Bring on the rest of the year!