It's a toss-up between which word best describes my first fortnight at the University of Lincoln.
And it may be a surprise to some of you (or maybe not if you believe the stereotypes) that the words that spring to mind are not academia or books. In fact, the words are amazing and expensive.
I never thought I could use those two words in conjunction but university has proved that I can do just that. I hope that's not what the uni meant when they said that they can "open new doors" for me.
Freshers' week was amazing. I'm not a big consumer of alcohol but I did, however, decide to let loose, give it a crack of the whip and see what all the fuss was about.
Six nights in a row of getting "sloshed" was a strange feeling. It's not one that I would recommend to people. But I gave it a go and I have no regrets about that at all.
Well, I say that ... There are a couple of incidents I'd rather hope I might have changed with hindsight.
I don't seek to go into too much detail but I can cite jumping into a hot tub fully clothed and passing out for two hours in a club toilet as such incidents I'd wish to change. But hey, they'll give me some memories!
Freshers week involved me getting to know my flatmates, getting to know some of my course mates, talking to random people and just generally having a good time!
There were some amazing parties that included a Chase & Status DJ set, a live performance from Scouting For Girls, Quack (don't ask) and a paint party which involved getting squirted in the face and hair with ... you guessed it: paint!
These student union events were accompanied by two fantastic nights at Home. Home never lets you down really - unless it's a Saturday. It's utter sh*t on a Saturday!
But of course, all good things come to an end. My week of teenage hedonism has been severely punished by what is known as 'freshers flu'.
I have since learned that alcohol destroys your vitamin c which is used to fight off illnesses. Therefore, if you drink copious amounts of alcohol there is an increased chance of being ill.
I succumbed to that increased chance and spent the following week choking, sneezing and spluttering through a series of introductory lectures.
I'm glad to say that I'm in the latter stages of illness now and I look forward to being able to breathe through my nostrils again in the near future.
My last point is on finance. University has been unbelievably expensive. I mean I knew it would be expensive, but not THIS expensive.
I have been living in my accommodation for little over two weeks at the time of writing and I have already paid in excess of £2,000 to be able to stay in it.
On top of that, there's paying for text books (around £160 for the right editions) and the social side of things (can easily spend £20 per day).
So, in terms of academia there's not been a lot going on. I've had a couple of lectures here and there but it all really kicks off tomorrow.
A full week of timetabled lectures and seminars lies ahead as well as a multitude of other meetings regarding societies, student publications and broadcasting opportunities.
Stay tuned for more announcements soon!
Commentaires