A month came and passed since the beginning of Michaelmas Term and Welcome Week seems to be a distant recollection now, drowned by the looming formative work deadlines and by the security of an established friend group. However, one cannot help but wonder how wrestling with law books and social commitments became a natural part of life. It clearly was a process of osmosis by which freshers found their place at the School without even realising.

First things first, there are many ways to meet people during Welcome Week – go clubbing, go to the events organised by your department or go to the LSESU’s alternative nights. While we were definitely spoilt for choice, this also meant that everybody could find something to do. The options included things such as legal walks, ghost bus tours and the notorious RAG pack (five nights of club entertainment that my flatmate vouches for). However, sticking to what genuinely interests you might be the best strategy for navigating this chaotic week. If you do so, then you’re almost guaranteed to find some like-minded people.

This being said, be prepared to repeat your name and your country of origin an inordinate amount of times, as these are the two go-to questions which serve as icebreakers for almost all conversations. Once these pieces of information are out of the way, almost any development in the discussion is possible, from your shared love of literature to silly high school stories. Indeed, I bonded with one of my best friends over our experience taking A Level Literature and reading A Passage to India.

Unfortunately, not everybody you meet will go on to become a close companion. Many people will be just transient acquaintances with whom you go for lunch once and then you never see again. The odds are that the people from your degree will become your long-time friends as you see them often for welcome talks and then for regular lectures and classes. This is nothing to be disquieted about as you will bond with people from other departments within your halls of residence or within the societies you join.

Talking about societies, the highlight of the whole Welcome Week is the two-days Welcome Fair which showcases all the societies in what is an incredibly crowded and yet fun event. Despite the interminable queues, the event is totally worth a visit as it brings together all the best LSESU has to offer. However, you might want to plan the night before who you want to talk to, as this will speed up the whole process and will save you time and confusion.

Overall, as Welcome Week draws to an end and the rest of the academic year begins I can promise you two things: you will never have a shortage of work to do; and you will never run out of people to call and meet up with.