Anyone who has ever been a university or college student will have some kind of memory about their Freshers’ Week.

For many, it is probably quite a blurry one.

Typically it involves a lot of things, some of which are quite mundane.

These include registering as a student – typically after waiting in a particularly long queue – unpacking your boxes full of hastily-bought cooking utensils and, for those who have gone away to study, getting to grips with your new surroundings and meeting your flatmates.

Other parts of the week are typically a lot more fun.

For example, you have the chance to join a wide range of clubs and societies and the opportunity to enjoy some entertainment, often featuring the latest upcoming indie bands, among others.

And then there is the alcohol.

Tales of student excess are legend and frequently involve moments of staggering from one bar to another, having incredibly “deep” conversations before annoying everyone in your hall of residence when you set the fire alarm off trying to make toast at 3am.

It is usually billed as ‘the best week of your life’.

While that particular description is often incorrect, it will certainly be one which sticks in the memory.

So it’s no surprise that the new undergraduates at the University of Cumbria who have been enjoying Freshers’ Week – or Welcome Week as it is also known in this part of the north west – this week had plenty to look forward to.

One of the people who helped to organise this year’s events is Izaak Koroneos, the University of Cumbria Students’ Union’s academic officer.

The 22-year-old, who lives in the St Aidan’s area of Carlisle, says the new starters have been given a warm welcome by both the university and the union.

He says: “For this Freshers’ Week we have laid on a large number of events.”

These have included a quiz night, a welcome lunch from the chaplaincy service and several themed nights in Club Concrete on Lowther Street.

And, of course, undergraduates have also been taken on the obligatory bar crawl.

He adds, though, that there has been what many would see as a rather unusual addition to a week of student celebrations.

“We have organised a lot of downtime as well because a lot of our students do not want to drink,” he explains.

This is a growing phenomenon at universities, which many are putting down to a growing pressure on students to succeed.

Mr Koroneos says there is a “50-50” split among freshers in Cumbria who want and do not want to drink. He thinks that the high number of mature students that the university attracts may also have an influence in this.

The university, meanwhile, has organised events such as library tours and has given the new starters practical advice such as making sure they are exempt from council tax.

All of these have taken place in Carlisle, where the university has several buildings – most notably on Brampton Road in Stanwix and Fusehill Street in St Aidan’s.

Unlike many academic institutions, the University of Cumbria has campuses in several different places, putting a large amount of distance between the various members of its student population. The locations include Ambleside, Lancaster and even London.

Mr Koroneos says that the union puts on events at every location where the university has students and is looking to arrange cross campus festivities in the future.

He believes this is an essential week for students.

“The main reason for having it is to integrate and help them get to know what we [the union] do, as well as welcome them and make them know what we can offer to them as a support system.”

He is a full-time elected official, having completed a degree in games design and has fond memories of his own introduction to university life.

“It is something that happens to every student and for me it is a chance for students to integrate after getting away from home. They are meeting new people and it is all about making new friends.”

The News & Star gatecrashed this week’s bar crawl in Carlisle and spoke to some of the new undergraduates about their new home. 

Working with children and families might be the course but Beth Gibney is also learning plenty about life in Cumbria during here first week at university. The 19-year-old now lives in St Aidan’s, Carlisle, having moved to the city from her native Liverpool.

“When I was younger I used to come up here on holiday with my family,” she says.

Miss Bibney adds that so far university life has been pretty enjoyable. “It has been good, very good, but so far I have not seen too much of Carlisle.”

She explains why she picked Carlisle for her undergraduate years.

“I really like it up here and I like the fact that it is quiet. If I was in Liverpool I would be out every night.”

Aspiring nurse Pippa Robinson has switched from the north east to the north west of England for her university years.

And she has enjoyed her time in Carlisle so far.

The 19-year-old is a native of County Durham and now lives in St Aidan’s.

“I like Carlisle because it is small,” she says. “I am from quite a little town – I am not used to big cities.”

She has found student life to be good so far and has had a lot of fun with her new flatmates, who she has enjoyed plenty of nights out with.

“I have really enjoyed meeting new people, everyone has been friendly,” Pippa adds.

Luke Kemp has moved to Carlisle to study sports rehabilitation.

He is 18 and a native of Halifax in West Yorkshire, who now lives in St Aidan’s.

“So far it has been great,” he says. "Everyone has been helpful and I am really getting to know everybody.”

The relatively small size of campus he is based on in the city appealed to him.

“With the bigger ones you are just a number to them, you are not actually a person.” Freshers’ events continue into next week.