Fall In Love: Freshers Guide To… Living It Up!

First year at college means that it is officially time to let go and live a little... The transition from school life to college life is an unusual one for most, simply because it is the first of many firsts! Your first day at college is almost as daunting as your first days at school: the new faces, new names, new campus, new surroundings and lots of new life experiences… It’s your time to shine in the big bad world i.e. whatever city and college you decided on. Using Britney Spears' hit 'I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman' as inspiration, here is our freshers guide to living it up.   Life Lesson No.1 - It won't always go your way...  So embrace it! Change is a positive thing. Life won't always go the way that you want it to but that's the beauty of growing up, making mistakes and learning from them.   Life Lesson No.2 -  Fall in love. In the words of Mark Twain: “Dance like nobody’s watching, love like you’ve never been hurt, sing like nobody’s listening, live like it’s heaven on earth”. Some first years come to college loved-up with a childhood sweetheart and stay that way. Others, let themselves love and be loved… it will most likely only last a week or two but trust it when we say, you’ll have the time of your life. Life Lesson No. 3 - Contrary to belief, your parents are NOT the enemy. Mother dearest and father bear don’t want to see you making life tough for yourself and repeating the same mistakes your older siblings did… However these are vital lessons that you will learn in time. No one wants to re-sit their first year at college because they partied too hard in their first semester, but you won't know that until next year. Just try not to prove them right, they love that. Life Lesson No. 4 - Sisters before misters.  Think carefully before you shift and drift… Keep off another friend’s patch. College may seem huge now but campus is small when it comes to potential suitors. If one of your BFFs has mentioned they fancy a guy be sure not to step on her toes, no guy is worth losing a friend over. NOTE: It goes without saying to ensure you always use protection if it’s going any further. We’re all responsible adults now!   Life Lesson No. 5 -  There'll be an all-nighter or two (ten) Deadlines need to be met, sleeping can wait... After completing your first all-nighter you will make a promise to yourself never to let it happen again, but as the old saying goes, 'you'll never learn'.   Life Lesson No.  6 - Join ALL of the College Societies Looking for fun? Then look no further, you will find all you need in college societies... They're much more adventurous than they use to be, so don't look back at the end of the year and regret what you missed out on... Join them all!   Now go forth and enjoy your first year at college, we only wish we could do it all again!     Bank of Ireland is helping ensure that your financial situation allows you to live it up. College-goers get 20% off* lots of brands when you use your student Visa Debit card, check out their website for more details by clicking here. *20% offer applies to student Visa Debit card only. For all retail partners promotional terms and conditions click here. Terms and conditions apply to student accounts and Visa Debit cards. You must be 16 years or over to apply for a Visa Debit card. Bank of Ireland is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.