University life can sometimes feel rigid and repetitive with lectures, deadlines, societies filling up your week. But the moments that tend to define your time here are the side-quests: the spontaneous, chaotic, meaningful experiences that happen in between scheduled programming.
These are the things you’ll talk about long after graduation, relate back to the inside-jokes you made with your best friends and overall make these years at uni even more fun.
Embracing chaotic housemate energy
Some of the best side-quests don’t even require leaving your house. Playing hide and seek with housemates, especially late at night or after a bottle of wine, sounds ridiculous until you’re crouched behind a sofa trying not to laugh. Maybe something simple as a card game where you realise how competitive you all are. (“Uno” is a personal favourite). You could even go as far as playing “Guess Who” but changing the random names to people you all know in real life for extra creativity and humour. These moments are reminders that fun doesn’t require planning or money.
Creating fake personalities in the club
There’s something oddly freeing about adopting a fake persona on a night out. A new name, a made-up backstory, maybe a different accent can be harmless for you and your friends when meeting strangers in the club. It turns the night into a kind of improvisation exercise, where the pressure to be yourself temporarily disappears. No one expects these interactions to last beyond the night, which makes it easier to talk to new people without overthinking every word.
For some, the fake persona becomes a way to overcome shyness and for others it’s just an excuse to be silly and see how far the story can go before a someone breaks character and laughs.
Exploring local gems
York is beautiful, but maybe getting away from your uni city can give you a well-deserved break. Knaresborough is a perfect example, a small town under 30 mins away on the train can be a perfect day out with your friends or flatmates. I visited in autumn where its riverside walks, colourful houses, castle ruins and relaxed coffee shops made ideal for a day where the only plan was to wander and chat. Trips like these break up term time and make the area around York feel bigger than just campus and the city centre.
Visiting friends at other universities
One of the easiest side-quests to complete is visiting friends at other universities. With good transport links, Apple Pay enabled, spare time, and friends to catch-up with, a trip to somewhere else in the UK (that you may have not been to before) can become a weekend adventure. You can compare campuses, sample other student nights out, and briefly imagine an alternate universe where this was your uni.
It’s a reminder that student life looks different everywhere and you can explore all options when friends are spread out across the country and you’re in need of a touch of reality.
Have a themed night
Wednesday socials are of course the go-to night out for creativity and not caring how you look on a night out. However, why restrict these frenzies to only one night a week? On Indie Tuesdays, you and your friends could wear alternating coloured wigs for no reason whatsoever and enjoy the momentary stares you may get. Or maybe invite mutual friends over and have a house party where you have to come dressed as the first letter of your name. This is a simple way to test your friends dedication to creativity and how far they will go to stay on theme in the best way possible.
Becoming a tourist in your own city
Many York students leave without ever fully exploring the city they lived in. Walking the city walls at sunset, visiting a restaurant you’ve walked past a hundred times, or attending an event you’ve been nervous to go to, all deserve to be side-quests in their own right. Don’t let your time run out and regret not living the experiences you’ve thought about, there is no better time than now to start checking off your uni city bucket list.
Be creative and cultural
Explore the art galleries, museums, quirky cafes in the city or on uni campus to stimulate your creative mind. I find art therapeutic and inspiring all at the same time so I have become a frequent wandering visitor to York Art Gallery and I’d recommend it to everyone.
Why this is important
The side-quests are yours to choose: Saying yes to small adventures, leaning into silliness, and stepping outside routine may make your degree feel something more than academic progress. In the end, it’s these detours (planned or accidental) that turn your time at university into a story worth remembering.
