University Freshers

Freshers week, despite the name, is typically a two-week period of settling in for university students regardless of what year of academia they are in. Your university will run the dedicated Freshers Fair; one week of seminars, talks, and other events to give advice and to promote social clubs.

Students, generally speaking, love an excuse to drink however, so that’s how one week stretches to two. Local businesses accommodate this if not facilitate this, in order to maximise the student contribution to the local economy – especially considering the financial slowdown during the summer holidays.

While some of the sessions or events can be a bit boring, it is useful to go to a few things to know your campus. Knowing where the doctors or urgent care centre is, a dentist, where you can park cars, where you can do your weekly food shop… they’re things you can Google but you’ll always get a little more insider knowledge by listening to an existing student pass info on.

With so many people gathering in such close proximity, illness is inevitable in many students upon their return to university – especially when drinking to excess, eating less healthily, and failing to sleep properly.

What is freshers flu?

Freshers Flu is the generic name for the variety of illnesses gotten by people during the first few weeks of university. For many, this is merely the common cold, but the flu and other ailments like bronchitis, tonsilitis and laryngitis are regularly seen by doctors. Gastric bugs can also be a problem due to poor hygiene; both individually and in venues.

There is also the risk of Covid-19 to consider. Students with weaker immune systems or other vulnerabilities should be cautious when socialising, especially considering alcohol consumption, and should make sure to wear facemasks where possible/appropriate in the earlier days of the uni year.

Freshers Flu symptoms

The symptoms of freshers flu vary, much like the exact illnesses themselves. Common symptoms include a runny nose, sinus congestion, sneezing, coughing, a sore throat, and inflammation of the throat. 

Precursors of becoming unwell include things such as headaches, fatigue, tired eyes, and feeling hot or cold (or both).

Frequently asked questions:

• Is Freshers Flu real? 
  Yes, but it is not one specific illness. It is a general term coined because of how common it is to get ill following the Freshers Fair period.
  
  
• What causes Freshers Flu?  
  Bacteria and viruses. Exposure to them, aided by poor hygiene or the exertion of such an intense period of socialising, allows them to flourish – which the body then fights back against.
  
  
• How long does Freshers Flu last?  
  It depends on the illness. Typically a week, but for more serious complaints you may need antibiotics like Amoxicillin and a course can be 10-14 days.
  
  
• How to get rid of Freshers Flu?  
  It depends on the illness. Some illnesses pass in a few days thanks to your immune system, whilst others require the aid of antibiotics.
  
  
• How to avoid Freshers Flu?
  It’s not really possible to avoid any illness. The best way to minimise your risk of getting ill is through proper hygiene, a good diet, lowering your alcohol consumption, and sleeping properly. These will help the immune system in the first place but also after the fact, should you not want to play safe.

With so much socialising in a new environment or around new people, it’s inevitable that people will hit it off and want to take things further. There’s no shame in having fun, whether serious or casual, but safe sex is important.

The Mirror newspaper reported in September 2023 that the number of cases of gonorrhoea were at an all-time high, and that syphilis was the highest since the end of the Second World War. The NHS continues to be under strain and experiencing post-pandemic delays, so sexual health for students is more important than ever if you care about self-preservation.

Make sure to utilise your university’s offers of support. GP services are typically available, but you can also contact your local STI clinic. Derbyshire Community Health Services has a webpage called Your Sexual Health Matters, which offers applicants a Freshers Fair kit of contraceptives but also a testing pack in the event you have unprotected sex.

These days things are nearly always anonymous, and condoms are readily available – and often free – to ensure that students are playing safe despite the alcohol and the newfound freedoms of university life.

Failure to address these diseases can lead to complications with longer-term health impacts. These could affect your body, your mind, and your future overall – whether in study, work, social life or love life.

It’s not just on students to act. NHS Trusts can and should work to engage with university students during the Freshers period. Engagement with patients of all ages has helped improve adherence to treatment and thus leads to improved care outcomes, and while the NHS and other healthcare providers are still building data to fully prove this, there’s no downside to getting started as soon as possible.

The solutions is… to use solutions. Healthcare software offers the interoperability and the unifying power that Trust or Health Boards need to see more and do more. Solutions like our own Rio electronic patient records and Access Elemental social prescribing are ways to track patient information, data, medical history, but also to see what needs the individual has in order to support their health.

This can have a broader impact on both physical and mental health, but for freshers and the immediate support, these types of systems can make the transition from home to university much simpler for students and their records – allowing the local Trust or authority to have accurate and relevant information as quick as they need it.

This concludes our quick rundown on what to be aware of during your time at the Freshers Fayre. It’s a fun week or fortnight, but stay smart and you’ll stay safe. If you can’t stay smart… make sure you take the time to recover fully before making more mistakes.