Your first day of uni is nothing like your first day of school – no new uniform or stationary. Most importantly, no one cares that you’re new and have no idea what you’re doing – least of all your lecturers.

While there are plenty of “formal” resources available to show you how to connect to the Wi-Fi and enrol in classes, less formal (but more useful) guidance can be found in your resident third-year. Third-years know where to get the best free parking, which units have the best lecturers, which parties to go to and which parties to avoid. They also have up-to-date exam notes and know about every internship available for your major (THIS IS IMPORTANT – even in first year).

Senior students are clearly invaluable, but why do you need a guide to befriend them? They’re just a few years older, right? Tbh, it’s not that older kids don’t want to help you – the case is more frequently that freshers are so irritating that we don’t have the emotional fitness to tolerate you. So, accordingly…

#1 Don’t Be Irritating

Let’s do a quick Y/N pop quiz to test your comprehension of irritating activities. Is it irritating when:

1. A first year relentlessly complains about their 30 minute mid-sem?
2. A group of freshers audibly compare Tinder matches in the quiet area of the library?
3. A first year doesn’t shut up about ‘all the crazy stuff’ they did on Leavers?

The answer to all of these is a resounding ‘YES’. Us older folk will not hesitate to call you out and shut you up either. All of these things have a time and a place but best not have an undeserved whinge to someone who is 100x more stressed and 100x more under pressure.

#2 Join A Committee

Committees are a super fun and easy way to get to know people from different degrees in different year groups. The key here is to not be the lazy fresher who gets elected and does nothing – it’s counterproductive and the fastest way to get written off by the group. If you sign up, show up. Work hard and see through your commitments and you’ll get the dividends of great friends, great advice and trust from your peers.

#3 Don’t Need A Babysitter

No one likes a fresher who constantly scabs lifts or needs someone to hold their hair back. Uni is the time to take responsibility for your decisions. Third years are already doing that (or should be), so by doing it too it shows that you’re serious about utilising the help they give you.

This also means that when you ask for help with your assignments, you’re not expecting them to do it for you, or get defensive when they try to provide constructive feedback.

#4 Be Patient

This is a shout-out to my lovely younger pals who will always message me first because they know that the last thing on my mind is catching up for lunch (even though I would love to catch up for lunch). Things are more hectic the higher your unit codes get but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t time for a chat. The imperative is on you to organise and initiate the conversation though – no one is going to chase you down to give you help.

#5 Avoid Sixth Years

Sixth years are nocturnal creatures that should only be approached with an offering of hot coffee and/or sugared carbohydrates.

Sixth years know everything – academic and beyond. We’ve seen every party, exam, car bay and career fair. If you have any questions a third year can’t answer, find one of us.

(Lead image: Bad Neighbours/Universal)