Be prepared

Inspired by alumna Alexa Van Sickle, we want to know what new students arriving in September should know before arriving in Edinburgh.

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Freshers

Editor and journalist Alexa Van Sickle has written an article entitled, 16 things to know before you go to Edinburgh, for the independent journal Roads and Kingdoms. Though primarily aimed at tourists visiting Edinburgh, it got us thinking about useful insider information for students arriving in September.

A festival of fun

EUSA (Edinburgh University Students’ Association) currently list a daunting 380 events that combine to create Freshers’ Week 2015. Running from 12 to 19 September, new arrivals at the University can partake in everything from city and campus tours, to comedy and music nights, film screenings and a myriad of society introductions.

No longer just a welcome reception, societies fair and a Teviot hosted ball, Freshers’ Week is a mini-festival in the city of festivals - complete with wrist bands and Freshers’ Bundles.

10 things you should know

Advice and guidance will be at a premium but nothing beats the experience and wisdom of those who have been there and done that. With this in mind, we would like to create our own list of 10 things to know before you go to Edinburgh University.

What do you wish you had known before you stepped off the train at Waverley station or were dropped off by anxious parents? What nugget would have saved you time, confusion or perhaps four years of embarrassment?

It doesn’t matter how long ago you studied at the University, we would still love to hear from you and test the theory that, though specifics change, the experience stays the same.

Send us your wisdom and win stuff

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Alumni prizes

For a chance to win an item of Edinburgh University merchandise send your suggestions starting, “I wish I’d known…” to us at alumni@ed.ac.uk alongside your current mailing address. We will pick our three favourite pieces of wisdom and they will win:

We will also compile a top ten list, publish it in a future edition of Enlightened and send it through to our friends at EUSA.

Everyone who appears in our top ten will receive a University of Edinburgh leather keyring.