More than 5,000 new students will be descending on De Montfort University Leicester’s campus this weekend as they prepare to start on one of the most exciting journeys of their lifetime.
Freshers of 2016 enjoying last year's Welcome Weekend
As friends and family wave them off on Saturday and Sunday, the freshers of 2017 will be met by dozens of staff from DMU and the De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU) to ensure they have the smoothest transition as possible from life at home to life on campus.
The freshers will be shown to their new halls of residence, officially register on their course, pick up their new ID cards and email addresses and be offered tours of the campus.
They can then get to meet DSU members, DMU staff and fellow freshers at the traditional Welcome Weekend festival which runs from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday and join hundreds of overseas students who arrived at the start of the week.
Dozens of stalls are being set up around the Mill Lane area, which runs through the heart of the campus, offering the new arrivals their first taste of university life and help them see why DMU excels when it comes to offering an outstanding student experience.
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There will be competitions to enter and a chance for freshers to find out about DSU Freshers’ Week. The DSU is also laying on entertainment throughout the weekend including free candyfloss, a BBQ, film screenings, and the Freshers’ Ball on Sunday night before a week of events to welcome students to DMU.
There will also be a Welcome Hub where freshers can find out all they need to know about studying at DMU, and staff will be on-hand to answer questions on the support services available throughout the year. A Healthy DMyou area will be promoting positive health and wellbeing initiatives and offering live cooking demonstration so students can rustle up a bit more than beans on toast!
DMU Communications Officer Sherilyn Pereira, who is part of the team that organised this year’s Welcome Weekend, said: “Starting university can be both an exciting and daunting experience for many students, especially during the first few weeks when they are finding their way around the campus and the city.
“At DMU we pride ourselves on providing our students with the best possible student experience, and this begins from the moment they arrive with Welcome Weekend and Freshers Week, their first introduction to life at DMU and everything the university has to offer.
“During this unfamiliar time, we endeavour to make our new students feel as welcome and supported as possible and we want their first impressions of life at DMU to be as positive and memorable as possible.
“We’re planning an exciting week of activities to help students settle in to university life, and to kick start the fantastic student experience on offer at DMU.”
Freshers’ Week is organised by De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU) and there are events organised both day and night starting on Friday 22 September.
During the day freshers can make the most of trips to Harry Potter Studios, Alton Towers and experience the brilliant city centre, including a visit to the Richard III Visitor Centre.
There will be films screened on DMU's outdoor Vijay Patel Big and major parties at night. There is also the Activities Fair where students can find out how to get involved with DSU's vast range of sports and societies. To view the full programme visit the dedicated #FreshFest17 webpage here.
Posted on Friday 22 September 2017