SOCIAL LIFE
In addition to receiving a high standard of education, the UK has a lot to offer in terms of student life with a ton of social and academic opportunities available.
Get in touch via Social Media!
As an international student, travelling abroad to study (especially if you’re travelling alone) can be quite daunting. Joining Facebook/Whatsapp groups prior to starting university is a great way to meet new people! This way, you would have already met a few coursemates, flatmates and a maybe other internationals therefore settling in would be a bit more fun and comfortable as you’d have company when shopping to decorate your dorm, or pick up groceries.
Fresher's Week!
Fresher's week is probably looked forward to the most when joining university as there are many daytime activities where you can meet people including but not limited to, hiking, visiting a cat/dog cafe, taking a tour around the city, and more, for those who want to keep busy. Additionally, night’s out are also a great way to meet people in a social setting. Remember that everyone’s there to make friends and have a good time so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!
Societies!
However, if you arrive late or aren’t too keen on the Freshers wristband (you may not be interested in the activities), there are tons of ways to meet people in university - one of the most common being societies. Joining different societies not only helps your own portfolio but also helps you meet people from different courses (or your own) with similar interests. Joining sports societies are a great way to already feel like you’re a part of a team when you arrive!
Meeting People!
Additionally, you can also meet people at academic talks/sessions held by your university - there are plenty of these throughout the year so that you can become more informative on topics you may not know much about. Throughout your course, you’d also have a ton of group assignments and projects where you can meet coursemates as the UK has a very interactive curriculum. Furthermore, your student accommodation team (ResLife) will definitely host a number of activities - like movie nights, day trips, etc. so you have more opportunities to meet your neighbours and feel at home.
Balance is key!
In addition, going to concerts, exhibitions, restaurants, travelling to different cities within the UK, are all ways to get a taste of the UK culture and make your student life more enjoyable.
However, in addition to the social and academic aspect, living by yourself also comes with a lot of responsibilities - knowing how much to budget on groceries, cooking, doing laundry, and more...making time for all these activities within your schedule is also important.