First-Year Farewell and Thank You's

Hi everyone!

My mains and I enjoying uni life, crippling student debts, lack of money for food and the cute af snowflakes dangling from the ceiling as seen in the background

I’m writing this one on a train back home because I have the weekend off work and I just miss my family (and my dog, always my dog) too much. This is gonna be another impromptu posts, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while now warning: it will be lengthy. I had my final exam on the 3rd June, which technically means that I am no longer a ‘filthy fresher’, and I feel like this is the most heartbroken I have ever been. I have loved every second of my first year of university, and I feel I’ve really come into my own with regards to adapting to everything uni life has to offer, and I cannot wait until my second year (officially) begins! I was scrolling through all the old photos on my phone from when I first moved to Bath until very recently, and I realised I hadn’t shared them the traditional student-way of uploading them gradually, so I’m gonna upload them all at once so everyone can see exactly what freshers week was like through my eyes.

Sheeples

Bath Spa University on my very first day when I bought my bus pass and did other pensioner-esque things like panic knitting 

10 points if you can name the film from which you recognise this famous location from (think big kiddo!)

Throughout the year I have had to deal with things that have been really difficult for me, and it really hasn’t been easy for me to get used to not seeing my family - and my dog, my one true love. I have been so lucky to have been given the opportunity to have nobody know me, for nobody to know the nicknames I was called as a kid, or the relentless bullying I suffered when I was younger, or the fact that I was a lightweight (this literally lasted a day unfortunately, then they all knew!) Basically the new start, plus the great people whom I now consider my nearest and dearest, equals a fantastic first year. The independence that comes with moving away from home is incredible, I was left to my own devices and yet I still budgeted £15 a week including alcohol (vegetarian lightweight perks - more dolla all round) and I soon found myself munching through Lidl’s finest humous and sweet chilli flatbreads, oh Lidl, thou art a saviour!

Our campus is so cool, the other side of this there's a castle and the lake and it takes my breath away every darn time

 Bath is one of the most beautiful places I think I’ve ever seen, even from the very first few pictures I saw from it, I fell in love and living there at some point quickly became a bucket list-worthy feat. So when it came to picking universities and looking around, I knew I would have to look into universities in and around the Bath area. I went and looked at both Bath Spa and the University of Bristol, but it was the small, rural location of the campus surrounded by swans, sheeples (that’s just what I call sheep, because sheep are people too *vegan alert*) and everything you’ve ever read or heard about in an Austen or Brontë novel - I knew I had to go there. I applied elsewhere, but after deferring due to rather odd circumstances at the time, I was offered an unconditional place at my top choice and I was over the moon. As soon as I had my results in hand and was allocated the oh so pricey Twerton Mill as my home for the following academic year (I still think we are all being ripped off, there was a poo in my toilet when I first moved in and a hole in the wall) I set about finding my flatmates in every freshers and Twerton Mill page on Facebook. Now for the mushy stuff…

Flatmates

The original B002 baes

We all kept trying to do work in the kitchen, but when you live with two art students and two psychology students when you study books all day, it's tricky to fit it all onto a table! 

One of a few girly nights we had as a flat - this was when the Christmas market was up and we had such a nice time!

Sarah

I first found Sarah, one of the best people I’ve met here and the only girl who shares my passion for all things Disney perfectly (we watched the new version of The Jungle Book and as soon as we were home we watched the original, singing along to every single song) and if you’re reading Sarah, come back because I miss shouting Disney lyrics round the flat yeah? Sarah’s been an absolute rock this year and whenever I’ve felt down she’s always been there to make me tea or just to distract me from the shambles that is my life at times.

Alice

After scouring through all the posts in every Twerton Mill and Freshers page, I managed to find Alice who was also a key member in both my freshers experience and uni life in general. Alice did however do something that I don’t reckon I can ever forgive - she introduced me to wine. I had never had wine properly before uni, but when Alice produced some Chardonnay, I felt it would be rude not to at least sample some as the dreaded ‘we like to drink with Beckie’ chanting began. Chardonnay caused me to throw up purple and call my best friend and serenade him with Oasis’ iconic Wonderwall, and then continue to drink, oh woe is me. I am very excited to live with Alice next year, because she’s made me go out of my comfort zone and do things I never thought I would, I owe her a lot. 

Trey-bae

The final addition to B002 was unknown, as hard as we tried we could not find the fifth flatmate anywhere, so it was a waiting game to find out who the last flatmate was - little did I know he would end up being one of the closest people in my life at current. I believe in soulmates platonically as well as romantically, and I truly believe Trey may be a soulmate because he just seems to get me, and that hardly ever happens. From his first impression of me just shouting “Dagnabbit!” in the middle of our kitchen, to the 2am brownies we made that even looked good on an android, Trey was my first proper friend at uni. He is so so talented and his snapchats make me cry, Trey has honestly had such a good positive impact on my life (and he’s my basically a vegan pal, so we are bffl's whether he likes it or not) and I’m so excited for this summer because he’s staying in Bath for the majority of it as well, and living with him is going to be amazing!

*Also, shoutout to Emily who is Alice’s rad twin who always makes me laugh and gets the party started, without her freshers and this year wouldn’t have been the same and she’s an honorary flat member in my eyes! Charlie (Alice’s boyfriend) is someone else I am happy to call an unofficial member of the flat, he’s my baking buddy and I love the spontaneous chats we have about everything and anything at ridiculous o’clock, let the noot noot's continue long into second and third year!*

Squads

B107

My uni squad are also incredible, the B107 gals (&Issie) never fail to cheer me up, and I just love hanging out with them all because we can do anything together, we don’t need alcohol to have a good time (we played a game last week and spent hours thinking of obscure drag icons and musicals and types of potato) and I consider them a strong foundation in the wonderful uni family i’ve managed to form whilst I’ve been here. From my nugget Megan who keeps me sane and always makes me smile, to my Livaloo to whom I have shared many good nights (alongside Ecco the Dolphin and other rad vintage games), Shan the absolute queen who just gets me and is very very good at table football, Emily who can hold her alcohol far better than I ever will, Amy who is so pretty it makes my heart hurt and Issie who can always get me to keep drinking, I love them all dearly and cannot wait to see how they continue to be a part of my uni life over the summer and in second year. 

Pubsquad

My Pubsquad were one of the only things that got me through the publishing half of my degree this year, and we actually went to the pub at long last on Bronte’s final night which led to pitchers in spoons, absolute chaos, a drunken bus-ride home and dance mats until way into the night. Bronte is a published author (go check out her book and buy it because she’s amazing and it’s so so so good!), India is a Cornish gal who’s been travelling on her gap year (just incase she hasn’t already told you) with a heart of gold, and Louisa is easily the sassiest person I’ve ever met (“vintageeeeee”)

Everyone

To everyone who I’ve met along this crazy journey, thank you for teaching me more about myself than I thought possible, and for accepting me for who I am and what I love, for never telling me what I want to do is dumb and for allowing the stress-baking and existential crises along the way. Thank you for catering to my bloody fussy dietary requirements, the long nights that spill into the morning from alcohol, parties, gatherings, late night talks, monopoly, board games, games in general and just overall brilliance. You’ve all been so incredible, and I cannot wait to see you all come September/October and continue this crazy experience with all your lovely faces. From the infamous antics of James the swan, to the ridiculous hangovers, I wouldn’t change a thing.

It’s been real,

B x