Written by Amelia Hancock
Illustrated by Vivika Sahajpal
Over two years ago, I left my small Midlands town to pursue my dream of living in London. A decision I can’t imagine having made any other way. Now, as I enter my third year with my future certain and my friendships solidified, I’ve found myself looking back on the whirlwind that was my freshers.
My first year began at Sidney Webb House, where I was kindly welcomed by a bomb threat at a nearby school, as well as a treacherous fifty-minute walk to campus. A real contrast to my previously quieter life near the countryside. Still, my room was cosy, modern and blessed with an en-suite, all for a reasonable price.
From there, London itself became the real backdrop to freshers. Infamously, LSE has never had a reputation for being a party university, but living in the heart of London meant there were so many clubs to explore, right at my doorstep. Compared to the dire turnouts I saw when visiting friends at other universities, London’s clubbing scene felt alive and energetic. So I threw myself into it. For ten nights straight, I went clubbing armed with the alcohol from my recent eighteenth birthday. Two years later, I’m quick to leave Sway after half an hour and have only been convinced into a singular event this freshers.
With the hangxiety that followed each night and my current attitude towards clubbing, would I push people to follow in my footsteps? At LSE, it’s easy to get swept into the culture of spring week applications and networking events before you’ve even unpacked your suitcase. The clubbing scene can seem like a breath of fresh air in comparison. But with the constant ‘What’s your name, course, and where are you from?’, it’s difficult to decide if the allure of going out is any less shallow.
The friendships you make alongside this excitement of living in a new city start to become equally as doubtful. Initially, I thought my flatmates would be my lifelong friends, but the unclean kitchen and age gaps stopped that dream dead in its tracks. No friendships arose from the girls I met in club bathrooms or the people I sat with in lectures, either. Instead of expecting these surface-level connections to develop into something real, look for genuine friendships in your classes, societies, and shared interests. It took a few months, but that’s when I finally began to feel a true sense of belonging.
As much as freshers’ is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it does not determine where your university journey will take you. If you find yourself feeling lonely, lost, or homesick, remember that it takes time to settle in. While it marked the start of city life and independence for me, and I definitely made the most of it, my favourite memories have all materialised afterwards.
