I am not a fresher. I am older and wiser and I wish to share my knowledge on how to get maximum fun out of fresher’s week and live to tell the tale. Here is your fresher’s week survival guide:
How to survive fresher’s week when you’re not a fresher.
I am no longer a fresher. I am a third year. A third-year who is not sat in her new college room writing this with the excitement of fresher’s week approaching, but in an office on my work placement.
In order for me to celebrate fresher’s week this year, I would have to book time off work, save every penny I have (because unfortunately, it’s unpaid placement), use public transport to get to Limerick as my placement is in another county and sort out a place to stay.
And even if I did go through all that effort, with the intentions of going out every night of fresher’s week, I wouldn’t be able to. I am old. Even if by some miracle I was able to push myself to go out every night of fresher’s I would need another week off to recover- possibly more.
Here are some tips on how to survive fresher’s week when you love the sesh but you’re old like me.
Go out early
Now, this might sound silly but hear me out. By going out early you are ensuring that you don’t get stuck in a big line of people trying to get into a club because for me personally when I’m drunk and I feel myself sobering up in the line, I get cranky. On top of that you freeze to death and sometimes after you have waited for what feels like 7 days, the bouncer comes down and informs everyone that they’re too full and no-one else is getting in. Another pro to going out earlier is everyone gets drunk earlier, resulting in everyone getting tired earlier, resulting in a possibility that you could get home before 12 o’clock and still have a good night.
Drink plenty of water
Drink water. Drink all the water. Drink water before you go out. Drink water during the night. Drink water when you get home. Sleep with a bottle of water so when you wake up you can taste that sweet hydration without moving (because let’s face it, we are old, the hangovers are worse, we need all the water and as little movement we can get.)
Forget about it if you have a 9 a.m.
Back in my youth, I could go out, stay out late, drink loads and was still able to force myself out of bed for class the next day. If you are no longer a fresher just don’t do it- don’t take the risk. You will convince yourself that you’re able for it, you will convince yourself that you can still go out and drink and get up for college the next morning. This. Is. A. Lie.
Actually, forget about it if you have college before 12 p.m…
After much thought I have decided that if you’re not a fresher just don’t take the chance of going out if you have a class before 12 the next day. Last year when I tried to go to an 11am class after a night out, I passed out in the lecture. No exaggeration, I could not be woken. It was bad. Not only that but it was one of those lecturers who started teaching properly straight away so I ended up missing out on vital information which I had to catch up on at a later date.
Alternatively, forget about going to college- it’s fresher’s week after all!
House parties are BOMB
A house party is a good option if you want to get drunk but also eat when you want and sleep when you want. I mean, if you get tired in a club the fun is over, but if you get tired at a house party you can rave, fall asleep on the nearest couch/chair/bed/piece of floor, and when you wake up can carry on raving. One thing I would say though if you are no longer a fresher never EVER host the house party. You will have to clean the next day and considering how bad the hangovers get, nobody wants to be doing that.
Olivia O'Dwyer 
Joe Costigan 
Sadhbh Pearse