I was discussing this with somebody that I met today, and it's an interesting point that I'm a bit unsure of, and was thus wondering what people had to think about it. Simply, what does freshers REALLY entail? People say it's the chance to meet good friends, start relationships, get to know people, and get trashed for at least 95%. The BBC recently stated that Freshers friendships were quite unlikely to last, relationships were likely to crumble, and social groups become divided.
So what is the real point of Freshers?
- Getting to know the place, yes, I'd agree. You have to walk around, and find your feet, undoubtedly.
- Getting to know your course? Doubtful this applies to everyone - I know that my course has a pretty intensive induction week, but I also know other courses (such as Warbz's iirc) that have about 1 hour of lectures, then call it quits.
- Getting to know people? For the most part, the same concept above applies - you don't get to know those on your course because you're not actually in many lectures together for the first week at all.
- Making friendships? I wouldn't count on that either - everyone is feeling lonely and social outcast to begin with, and the people who you include as your immediate friends tend to not always be what you imagine and you'll veer off towards other groups more befitting of your personal traits instead.
- Starting relationships? Again, not really. Everyone hears of the whirlwind romances that kick off in the first 24 hours of Uni, and last forever. Those are very few and far between. What people don't hear of are the romances that start in the first 24 hours, and subsequentally fizzle out when you realise you don't need to be shagging somebody senseless to feel wanted.
- Sorting out flats, medical info, and the like? From my experience, most people don't actually do any of this until it goes wrong. So unless your flat falls to bits, or your body does, this doesn't happen either.
So, where does that leave Freshers?
Frankly, I'd conclude that Freshers is a poor excuse for a camp for the mad, insane, and generally unruly population. It consists of random drinking, sleeping, and shagging. Nothing is learnt. No bonds are sacred by any means. Nobody cares, I don't think. It's a chance to release whatever you have pent up in your system, if you have anything.
So, I was wondering what your take on this was, what friendships/relationships endured after it, and whether it serves any purpose other than to get trashed and laid, for want of a better phrase.
[DISCLAIMER] This does not mean that it's not a time to enjoy yourself, or a time to not meet people.
[Note] This is probably first in a series of ethical kinda-things that I want to explore.
Edited by AJ, 22 September 2009 - 23:25.