Do freshers still get pissed?

[ThePlantsitter]

Does anyone know? I'm too scared to ask in student forums even if they would be a better place. I'm writing something and I'm wondering if my view of freshers is totally out of date because I don't think young people drink in the way I used to when I was 15-20 (I'm 45).

Can anyone with student kids (or who is a student) help?

Judging by the state of the people on our main drinking street at midnight on freshers week, I'm going to go with a definite yes.

Made me quite nostalgic!

Judging by the drunken tearful phone call I received from my fresher the other day the answer is yes.

Brilliant thank you! Hope your fresher was all right @Sexnotgender!

I work in a university - definitely, yes.

Well if our side th firm is any indication, most definitely yes and mainly hard spirits

*sixth form

@ThePlantsitter

Brilliant thank you! Hope your fresher was all right *@Sexnotgender*!

She was absolutely fine thank you. Just a bit over emotional 😂

Glad your fresher was just feeling tired and emotional sexnotgender.

Seems like they'll never learn eh. Thanks all!

Christ yes! You're totally out of date if you think they don't. (Obvs some don't of course, but that's always been the case.)

Why would they 'learn' though? They haven't experienced freshers before so no experience to learn from.

My DD just started 2nd year. She has her freshers ticket from last year when she went to nothing. Definitely drinking and going out as not been clubbing before. Also couldn't go out when she turned 18. Making up for it now!!!!

I would say the big difference now is she drinks gin and cocktails. I my day we could only afford beer!!!

@titchy

Christ yes! You're totally out of date if you think they don't. (Obvs some don't of course, but that's always been the case.)

Why would they 'learn' though? They haven't experienced freshers before so no experience to learn from.

My view was that they DID but that I'm old and maybe they don't now. Seems they do. Also on the 'learn' thing, you're right, it was just something to say. I realised afterwards it made no sense

Yes! But not to the same extent we did, they're more discerning ime and wouldn't touch a pint of something awful for 75p!!!

Fairly easy to check any university student union page and see what events are held for freshers week.

Half mine are drunk related and other half student fairs /craft afternoon / trip to theme park.

At 48 I will not be attending (bar any course. Meet ups but those would at most be one glass of wine)

@titchy

Christ yes! You're totally out of date if you think they don't. (Obvs some don't of course, but that's always been the case.)

Why would they 'learn' though? They haven't experienced freshers before so no experience to learn from.

I don't think it's an unreasonable question - I'm the same age as the OP and the university experience has changed a lot. I've definitely read articles saying that students are a lot more studious now they are having to take out loans for fees etc in a way we didn't (the flip side of this being the 'I have paid for this degree and if I'm not doing well it's your fault' attitude which lecturer friends are definitely seeing).

The young women I know are a lot more cautious than I was at their age too.

I live just outside a university town and I do avoid it around freshers time though; there is definitely drinking and partying, but it doesn't seem to be as 'en masse' as when I was a student; I remember huge groups of us going out and people would get pretty wasted. However we tended to go out to town rather than on campus which I think is different here.

I work at a university and while yes there is drinking going on, I would say there is far far less now. Our student union has changed from a bar to a coffee place as there was no demand for it. This was pre-covid. So I think the ‘out of date’ view is that it’s the same as it ever was.

It’s not! These kids don’t need to leave their houses to socialise.

I suppose my question was not whether students drink at all, but whether that culture of fresher's week being ABOUT getting as drunk as possible was still a thing, which it definitely was when I went to Uni. It feels to me that young people drink less culturally than we did, like @FreezerBird says. So I can see that alcohol is on offer by checking SU webpages but not how people view it in real life.

When I was at University we didn't have enough money to get drunk.

Kids tend to 'pre' these days (drink at home before going out to avoid spending ££ on alcohol in bars) though we never did.

@titchy

Kids tend to 'pre' these days (drink at home before going out to avoid spending ££ on alcohol in bars) though we never did.

Yes, I've heard a lot about "pres". DS1 still does it and he's graduated - old habits die hard I guess!

@OttilieKnackered thanks for this, that's what I wondered. The bar becoming a coffee shop is a real shift isn't it.

All very useful indeed, thank you everyone.

Agree Prinks are regular thing. And that was 6th form.

Freshers week didnt' happen in 2020 but back with vengeance for 2021, I predict.

DD's mate was joking about sleeping on park benches 2x in last 6m.

DD mentioned how she couldn't find him one night, found him passed out in his room, she slightly undressed him & tucked him into bed. (he's gay, btw, so she really was just mothering him)

This is a clever responsible job holding medical student.

I would have thought so. That is the whole point of going isn't it?