I started studying Psychology at the University of Bath a couple of weeks ago, and it’s going great so far!

I was able to arrive early, which really helped as I was given a chance to settle in and get unpacked before having to socialise. This gave me some time to mentally prepare for all of the socialisation that occurred during Fresher’s Week.

Packing wise, I remembered everything (except my Pokemon and Arctic Monkeys posters), and brought 2 suitcases and around 8 small boxes. Everything fit in pretty well, even if it took a couple of days to organise everything to my liking. I also put pictures up almost immediately, which really helped make my room feel more like home. A small rug also helped a lot!

I met all of my flatmates by Saturday, and they’re all lovely (I got pretty lucky there). I also disclosed my autism diagnosis pretty quickly (think on the first or second day?), which really helped when I had to explain things like why I couldn’t cope with loud noises or light touch, or may sometimes miss sarcasm. I definitely recommend disclosing early (if your flatmates seem accepting and understanding), because it makes everything run much more smoothly. It also meant my Pokemon toys made a lot more sense!

Bath has a big alcohol-free movement, which is awesome. There was no pressure to have anything to drink (even though I do in small amounts). This accepting nature also applied to going out; I’d never been to a nightclub or a big party before, and didn’t want to go for very long the first time. I went with my flatmates, and they were all fine with this.

On the topic of nightclubs, I highly recommend getting some ear plugs. I can’t really wear them due to narrow ear canals, but they can really help. They don’t stand out much either, and you can always tell someone that you’re just wearing ear protection if they notice. I brought my active noise cancelling headphones with me the first time I went out, and they really helped when I was still getting used to the noise. The only person who pointed them out was a fairly tipsy girl who told me they were a great idea.

I was worried that Fresher’s would just consist of going out every night, which I didn’t think I could cope with. However, there were a lot of daytime activities on, along with some more chilled out evening events such as a pub quiz and the acoustic cafe.

The best part was definitely the silent disco though. I cannot recommend them enough. You can control the volume of the music, and are able to choose between 2 music options. This meant there was far less sensory overload than the ‘arena nights’, which were more typical, with live (and loud) music.

Overall, Fresher’s was awesome. It was quite tiring, and involved more socialising than I’m used to or expected, but it was fairly easy to cope as you could always relax in your room or go to a more relaxed event.

The only issue I had was one night a Fresher’s Captain came to our flat and nagged us to go to Pre-Drinks in another flat, refusing to leave until we got ready right then and there. This was incredibly stressful, as it was a huge change to my routine and how I had expected the evening to go. The rush to get ready made everything even worse, and I left the Pre-Drinks within minutes due to stress and overload. So for the future, I would prefer it if Fresher’s Captains were taught to be less demanding and understand that some students simply cannot immediately change their plans and come along to a strangers home.

Other than that one incident though, I really enjoyed Fresher’s, and the Captains and students were all awesome.