#When new students or `freshersÆ start, #almost every university runs its own week #of weird rituals and entertainmentÆs #to help them feel at home. #During this week, they `matriculateÆ, register and decide on their subsidiary courses and study options. #All this involves a mountain of paperwork #and, often a whole himalaya of rituals and ceremonies, #not to mention hangovers from hell. #A lot of the herding during this week is done by the studentsÆ unions. #At most universities, students are automatically members of the studentsÆ union, #often otherwise known as the studentÆs association, guild or JCR. #StudentsÆ Unions vary from Robin Reliants to Rolls Royces, #but theyÆre always run by the students themselves and their activities usually split into three categories: #commercial services like bars, cafeterias and shops; #welfare services and representation. #Teachers arenÆt called teachers at university. #TheyÆre called lecturers, dons, tutors or professors, but basically, theyÆre all the same, #and few of them do anything you might recognise as teaching. #They conduct lectures, seminars, tutorials and practicals. #Most universities are now offering `modularÆ courses #- pickÆnÆmix courses where you choose options from a number of different subjects and score points for each option studied. #Eventually you have enough points for a degree, a coffee maker or a fondue set. #After about the first two weeks, things start to settle down. #Students throw out their Take That albums and spend the last few pounds of their grant on an instant Pink Floyd collection #which they then pretend theyÆve had for years. #At this point, they become fully fledged students.
