What to expect in your first week at Falmouth

Despite all the preparation over the summer, the main thing that made me feel like I had officially started university was Welcome Week. As my main introduction to the Falmouth way-of-life, it made being a student feel finally real.

During Move-In weekend, with people travelling down and unpacking, I found that it was fairly quiet. I really enjoyed organising my new room and also used it as an opportunity to get to know my flatmates. Living in The Sidings, I found it really interesting to see the wide range of courses others were studying, from both Falmouth University and University of Exeter. Everyone was so open to chatting, no matter how different your courses are, you really can find something in common with everyone. The first event I went to was the BBQ by the Stannary. It was a really chilled event where you could grab some yummy food and chat to other new students. I ended up meeting a few other people, who are in the same accommodation as me, so we were able to walk back together! As we were chatting, we all said how we wanted to see what the nightlife was like in Falmouth, so we ended up going on a night out together the next day. As someone who didn’t go out loads at home I didn’t really know what to expect, but we went round lots of different places. There are plenty of your usual pubs around, Toast & Fives are both good if you want some music, but also be able to have a chat and Kings & Mangoes are both definitely for if you want a good dance. I ended up really enjoying myself and, since buses run until the early morning, getting there and back was really easy.

The Freshers' Fayre was really fun to go around. All the clubs, sports and societies were there and it was amazing to see the range that you could sign up to. Hip Hop dance society, like most of the other groups, had taster sessions during the week, so you could try it out before buying a membership. However, one thing I wish I'd done, was to sign up for a society in something I hadn’t tried before.

In terms of starting the course, there are usually a few induction sessions during the week. The first one I had was for all of the AMATA courses. Here, we met the head of the department and other important people to know, like the AMATA librarian, the SU president and members of the Employability and Support teams. We then went into our specific course groups, where I properly met my course mates for the first time. I was a bit nervous, since these were the people I was going to spend the majority of the next three years with, but as we got chatting I found those that I clicked with. I would also say to not put too much pressure on becoming instant best friends - looking back to how close we are now, it really does take time for people to come out of their shell, including myself. We also met our lecturers as well as the 2nd and 3rd years on the course, who were all so excited to meet us, which really helped us feel like a part of the Falmouth Dance & Choreography family.