What I wish I’d known as an international student moving to university
Date 1 August 2023
Starting at any university is pretty anxiety-inducing, daunting and can be quite scary. In this blog, student Mckenny will tell you about some obstacles he and others have faced when starting, as well as advising on what you can do.
Challenges
First of all, there are many challenges many of you will face. I will name and describe four I see as very important:
International students/ Settling as a foreigner
I have met a few international students who needed help understanding currency, as this is very important. Things such as understanding exchange rates and how banks, loans and credit / debit cards work in this new country may help you with a lot with finances. The language barrier may or may not be a big thing for some of you. However, there will be some people who may struggle to understand you.
Culture shock
The culture shock can be massive especially coming straight from Africa and Asia. To help integrate and understand this new culture and the mix of others, find fellow countrymen and British people. Sticking with other students who have came to study in the UK can be the comfortable route, however do not fear or put off finding British people to guide you around. They have a far greater understanding of the country. Trust me I know how it feels: little children with smartphones more powerful and expensive than the ones most people have back at home. Every road and street is paved, houses and buildings look relatively the same, so many races & ethnicities, etc.
New environment
Living let alone spending a lot of time in a new location is always quite difficult at first, including learning the transport routes for school, home and town centre. To get help with transport: download the Stagecoach bus app and/or timetables for buses. Walk around the town: it’s good for exercise, route familiarisation, and do it with others so you all benefit and build bonds.
Studying
One major thing I and many others struggled with in relation with this is leading a balanced life. In truth this is very hard to do. Say for example: you have lessons 3-5 days a week, and transporting to and from the university takes a couple of hours, you also stay an hour or two in the library for revision purposes, you also need to go food shopping for that week, you also have boring house chores like laundry to do, but then you forgot that you have a 2000+ word essay due in a week . . . and you’ve only done 300 words as you had no idea what to do at the time. Having all these happen to you weekly, it’s easy to get bogged down in the constant struggle and forego your mental and physical health.
Tips to help you settle in quick
Support for foreigners
“If you want to do well, find out how things work” – Jim Rohn.
Do you struggle with English? Download language apps. Use university support services such as the Additional Student Support and Inclusion Services Team (ASSIST) and International Student Support (ISS) and even any English-speaking friends you may have met. Moreover, maybe visit the UKCISA website to get some tips on how to deal with culture shock and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Money management is imperative for all. The university has a Money management guide as well as a financial guidance team.
Laws
My fellow students, when I started working in April of 2022, my workplace let me know that as a student I am NOT allowed to work more than 20-24hrs a week. Most workplaces will let you know about this very crucial law. The best place to understand and learn more laws? Go visit the police . . . Seriously. We have a visitor centre on campus run by the Northampton police. Police in the western world are good. They will keep you safe, you do not need to worry about corruption. Believe me, they are friendly and always happy to help. Understanding laws as well will be very difficult. For example, coming from an African nation to here, you may struggle to understand the rules on drinking, the rights of children, requirements to be able to work, requirements to stay in the country past your university course, etc.
Perks
You may not also realise things like student perks. As students, we get a lot of food, shopping and transport discounts. Even in the university itself, they give some students a one-out-of-three perk option of: a free laptop, £500 for food in the canteen, or £500 off accommodation.* Visit the Student Information Desk (SID) at the Learning Hub for further help. Also, the NHS is FREE which is the UK system for hospitals and healthcare, however you must live in the UK for at least 6 months. Don’t forget to register with a GP. This will help with general health inquiries and problems.
Mapping your new home
The three most crucial areas you’ll want to get know are:
- University campus
- Accommodation
- Northampton town centre
In my opinion: one of the best ways to spend your first few weeks is by knowing where these are. The best transport routes, places of worship, supermarkets, bus & train station, your local doctors (GP) surgery, etc.
Studies
Most of your time should go to attending lessons and revision – goes without saying (I hope). Budget your time. Make time to exercise. The university has a partnership with a gym called Trilogy Leisure (of course you can choose others) which has a gym and swimming pool and good student offers. Eat well; less takeout, more home cooked meals. Another tip is to read: university is apparently one of the best times for self-improvement and development. Have fun: go airsofting, indoor wall climbing, clubbing, gym, whatever. Leave time in your life to be happy.
Acclimatising to a new environment takes time – don’t rush it. Enjoy the process the best you can.
Mckenny is 20 years old going into his third year at the University of Northampton in 2023/24.
He is of Cameroonian-British heritage.