Freshers' Guide - Freshers Week

These Mertonians were not alone in being apparently overcome with wonder upon seeing their new home. (I presume that’s what this photo depicts, anyway.)

The First Day

The first day at Merton actually contains one of the toughest challenges you will face during your time here – navigating the centre of the city by car. Oxford is not very car-friendly – for some reason, the town planners in the 10^th Century failed to take them into account.

Having parked up, head through the Lodge into Front Quad, where undergraduates will be waiting to greet you. The Porters (and Merton's porters are amongst the friendliest in the university) will be able to give you your room key and fob. If you're living in Merton Street or Front Quad, just take your luggage to your room. If you're in Rose Lane or North Lodge, it'll be simpler to drive round there – turn right out of Merton Street on to the High Street and then take another right into Rose Lane. Both Merton Street and Rose Lane are liable to become very busy on this day, so if your parents are staying with you for some of the day, ask them to move on to more permanent parking such as the Redbridge "Park and Ride" near the Iffley Roundabout. All these directions will hopefully be made much clearer by the map on page 7.

Once you're at your room, everything's up to you. Unpack (or most likely get your parents to unpack), put the kettle on, get to know your new neighbours, and dive into college life!

Freshers' Week

We all appreciate just how big a jump it is to come to University – we've all done it ourselves. Everyone is in exactly the same position, and there's no need to worry if you don't instantly form a group of friends here. Those unfamiliar first few days, surrounded by strangers, will soon seem a distant memory. You'll settle in very quickly – Merton's welcoming feeling and friendly atmosphere is regularly cited as one of students' favourite aspects of the college.

Chatting over a cup of tea in each other's rooms is a relaxing and easy way to make friends. Formal dress not necessary, but in this case rather classy, wouldn't you agree?

Freshers' Week will be full of events providing opportunities to meet both the other freshers and returning students, including barbeques, concerts and club nights. Slightly less excitingly, you'll also be introduced to various College officers, who will explain various rules and regulations. With any luck, it'll be the last time you have to hear the rules explained to you. There is, unfortunately but inevitably, a fairly large amount of administration to get done. There will be a medical talk by the College, followed by a medical registration session, and also various other form filling such as registration for the internet connection in your room.

One of the key events of the week is the University Freshers' Fair, where you will find stalls for every University club and society (there are over 300), from the OU Real Ale Society to the OU Korfball Society (no, I don't have any idea either). Anything you have the slightest interest in, just put your email address down – you never know what you might end up enjoying. There is no pressure for further commitment – the societies expect some people to lose interest once term begins. If nothing else, you will at least guarantee yourself a very satisfying feeling of superficial popularity by the end of the year, when your inbox is full of nice emails from random societies.

As all Mertonians know, any good night out will start with a pint in our excellent college bar, which we keep (necessarily) well-supplied throughout the year.

There are a few events during the week that you will have to attend, such as the College Matriculation Ceremony (sounds grand, but is in fact just shaking hands with the Warden and putting your name in a book). The University Matriculation Ceremony follows a few days afterwards, and is even less strenuous. The college ceremony will be followed by the Matriculation Dinner, complete with an excellent menu, an opportunity to meet your new subject-mates, and slightly nerve-racking but very entertaining encounters with tutors, who will in all probability be just as apprehensive as you are. Your tutors will also schedule an introductory meeting at some point, at which they will outline the course structure, inform you of anything you need to be aware of regarding your course, and finally they will probably set you some work (the tutors seem to think that the real reason you are here is to get a degree).

Don't Panic!

Only a few events are compulsory – these are described above, and will be marked on the timetable. So you're perfectly free to enjoy Freshers' Week however you want. Nobody is going to force you to come along to club nights or anything else. Having said that, Freshers' Week is the first and best opportunity for all freshers to make their first friends in this new community, so make the most of it. If the magnitude of the change gets to you (this will happen to everyone at some point), and you decide that you'd rather be anywhere but here, help is at hand. Welfare is very strong at Merton, and there will always be someone you can go to for help (see pages 14 and 15).

Mertonians posing for a quick group photo amidst all the INCREDIBLY GOOD FUN of Freshers' Week