I think we can all agree that going to uni is one of the most exciting things in the world. It’s a life-changing experience that will shape who you are as a person, and determine your future. And being an international student brings the experience to a whole other level!
It all sounds pretty great when you’re a senior: looking for the perfect course, the perfect city, and the perfect accommodation. There’s no better feeling than the one you get when you finally see you’ve been accepted at your top choice!
However, it’s not all fun and games; when the summer comes, and your results are in, sh*t starts to get real. You probably felt excited and happy to finally be going to uni, but also nervous, anxious, and just started to COMPLETELY freak out!!! Thinking about the years ahead can be overwhelming: transitioning from high school to uni, living alone for the first time, living in a different country for the first time, making new friends, speaking in a different language, having to become completely independent, which means cooking, shopping for groceries, cleaning, doing the laundry, managing money, paying the rent… and on top of it all, if you’re a control freak like me, you want to get it all figured out before even getting on the plane.
Relax. It’s normal. You are not alone. Take a deep breath, and keep on reading.
I can’t deny I was counting down the days for my flight. With each passing day, my excitement grew bigger and bigger; but at the same time, I slowly became more anxious, nervous, and insecure.
What if I don’t like my course?
What if I forget to pack the tiniest, most important thing?
What if I don’t fit in and nobody likes me?
What if I don’t make any friends?
What if I miss my family and friends back home?
What if I can’t figure out how to use the washing machine and make a complete fool of myself and smell like sh*t for the rest of my life?
WHAT IF?!
At times, it seemed like no one understood what I was feeling, and I couldn’t find help anywhere. As I always do, I looked for top tips, lists, articles, pictures, ANYTHING about uni life as an undergrad on Pinterest. To be fair, most of what I found was at least a teeny tiny bit helpful. However, nothing was aimed at international students specifically, and I often had to disregard half of the tips and things on the lists.
So, here I am. Making (or at least trying to make) the most amazing, complete, and helpful list of top tips for How to survive your first year as an international student in the UK. Please bear in mind that I’ve only been here for a week! But these are the things that have helped me survive, and actually have one of the best months of my life!
1. When in doubt, ASK!!!
99% of your problems will be solved if you simply ask! We’re often ashamed of not knowing what to do, how things work, what something means, etc. But we shouldn’t be! It’s completely normal to feel lost at times, especially when you’re getting adjusted to a new environment, house, country, language and life.
And this advice applies to literally anything: information about your flight at the airport, any doubts you have about your accommodation arrangements/contract, queries about your course, teachers, module enrollment, lectures, homework, assessment, resources, the meaning of a word or expression, the price of clothes, groceries, drinks, opening a student bank account, or basically anything else.
I know it can be a bit daunting, and even more so when you don’t know anyone (which takes us to tip #2); but I can assure you there will always be at least one person willing to help. :)
2. Join as many groups as possible
Facebook, Whatsapp, Snapchat, Messenger, you name it! Nowadays, there are hundreds of ways to connect with people all over the world and this comes in very handy when you’re an international student who, like me, is afraid of being the only one with no friends on day one.
I met all of my flatmates and a few people on my course, some even weeks before getting to the UK. Although we hadn’t actually met in person, we had the chance to text and get to know each other a little bit before we all got to uni. Especially with my flatmates, it was definitely much less awkward meeting for the first time, given that we at least already knew each other’s names and had seen pictures of each other. Additionally, it was also very useful to know when each of us was arriving and I could ask them for help with my groceries and parcels during the period I had to self-isolate.
Similarly, it’s been very helpful to have a groupchat with other people on my course. We can ask each other questions about homework, readings, lectures and even notes if you missed a lecture or didn’t understand something very well. Sometimes uni timetables and online platforms can be a bit confusing, so having each other’s back is always nice.
So even if you’re not a big fan of social media, it’s worth trying to find the people who you’ll be living and studying with for the next year of your life. Trust me, it’ll make your life easier, and you won’t feel completely lost and alone when you arrive!
3. Bring loooaaads of pictures, posters, gifts, letters, etc.
Room decor in general is, in my opinion, key to making your new house feel like home. It’s the perfect way to really show your personality, create a comfortable environment where you’ll enjoy spending time in, and help you adapt much faster to your new home.
Bringing photos of yourself with friends and family (and even pets <3) is a great way of feeling closer to them, and they also remind you that all those people are always there for you! Not to mention that you can actually make the prettiest feature wall if you happen to fancy yourself as an interior designer every now and then. I find plants, cactus, mirrors, and polaroid pictures to be the best decorations for a calm yet personalised environment. Especially now, with lectures, tutorials, and seminars being almost entirely online, creating a peaceful place where you can study has never been more important. I also brought gifts from my family, letters from my friends and my boyfriend with me.
Here’s a link to my Pinterest board named “dorm decor & org”, in case you want to see more ideas and inspiration on how to make your room pretty and tidy!
One of the things I love the most about my room is a giant poster I have where all of my friends and family wrote little messages at my farewell party. Some days I just take a few minutes to read them all, and it’s very reassuring and encouraging! I would definitely recommend anyone to do something like this!
4. Make lists and put deadlines
Lists might not work for some people, but for all those OCDs out there, this is Survival 101! Thinking about all the things you have to do before even getting to uni can be overwhelming, but making lists and putting deadlines on different tasks can literally save your life. Here are just some of the things you might want to consider adding to your list (and I’m thinking of things you’ll need to do from the moment you want to apply to uni):
- Write a personal statement
- Get a recommendation letter
- Fill out application on UCAS
- Apply for accommodation
- Join Facebook groups
- Complete your identity check and registration at uni
- Book flights
- Make lists of clothes, shoes, etc
- Shop for decor and school supplies
- Buy an adapter (maybe 2 or 3)
- Pre-order kitchen essentials and bedding
One of the most important lists you’ll ever make is your packing and essentials list! These will vary depending on the city you’ll be studying in, how often you’ll be going back home, the type of residence you’ll be living in (uni accommodation, private residence, etc) and even the course you’ll be doing! All of this will be addressed in my next tip. Here, I leave a pin with my complete list of essentials for uni (I didn’t include kitchen utensils because what you need to buy will vary depending on what is included in your residence):
A list that many might not think of doing, but that I 100% recommend, is a bucket-list. There are so many amazing things to try, visit, discover… and having a list of all the ones you want to do helps you look forward to it all even more! Instead of focusing on the negatives, the what-ifs, the buts, focus on the food, the culture, the cities, and the adventures!
Once you actually get to uni, I would also recommend that you keep the habit of making lists, but in the format of ‘to-do’. This is where having deadlines really comes in handy, to stay on top of everything to make sure you don’t miss one homework, assignment, or lecture. I usually do this on a weekly planner because it helps me be more organised and divide my chores into daily batches. I include tasks like homework, reading, grocery shopping, doing the laundry, cleaning my bathroom, and even skype sessions with my friends and family back home!
5. Research
Knowing a few of the basics is always very very useful. I spent a couple of hours investigating the weather, food, laws and regulations, important landmarks, public transport, among many other things that I thought would help me adapt more easily.
Getting to know a bit of the city before actually getting there can help you avoid feeling completely lost, and can also serve as a guide for some of your lists, clothes, for instance.
6. Take breaks
Speaking in another language can be EXHAUSTING! Every day when I go to bed, the second my head rests on my pillow I realise just how worn out I feel mentally. Naturally, after a couple of weeks you start getting used to speaking in English 24/7, but that doesn’t mean it stops being hard (no matter how good you are at it!) Even if you don’t realise it, having to translate everything you say, hear, read, and write is a hard job for your brain. Hence, I recommend you take small breaks from English every now and then.
I do this in very simple, small ways: replying to my friends’ messages in voice notes instead of texts, watching films and series in Spanish, listening to Latin music, and even teaching some Spanish to my flatmates! Luckily for me, one of my flatmates knows how to speak Spanish and always tries to speak to me in Spanish (which I greatly appreciate, shout out to Louis!). But my other flatmates always ask me how to say some things in Spanish or to play Latin music at parties, and I’m more than happy to show them.
7. Immerse yourself in the culture
One of the most exciting things about living in another country (at least for me) is getting to know a completely different culture and lifestyle. My advice for you is: dare to try new things. You might love some, you might hate some, but if you don’t at least try, you’ll regret it.
There are so many great things to discover: films, series, food, pubs, clubs, activities, sports, drinks, biscuits, sweets, shops, books, words, music, and of course tea flavours. Get to know what the true Brit lifestyle is! It’ll be fun to compare how some things are so different, and you’ll be surprised by how much you’ll love everything!
8. Celebrate your own culture
While it’s important to get to know the British culture, I find staying close to my own culture very comforting. These can be small things: music, films, food, and even drinks.
For example, I sometimes prepare guacamole for dinner, and I also brought horchata water flavouring and chili powder from Mexico. Similarly, as much as I hate it, my flatmates seem to think I love tequila shots, and I’m happy to have a couple with them because it reminds me of Mexico!
You can also take this further by celebrating some of your traditions! I’m already thinking about what I’m going to do to celebrate “Día de Muertos” (Day of the Death).
9. Stay connected to people back home
Although it may be a bit time-consuming, and challenging to coordinate your schedules (there’s a 6-hour difference between England and Mexico!), seeing a familiar face is always nice, and catching up with friends is very important!
Making new friends at uni is one of the coolest things: getting to know each other, going out together, having movie nights, and just knowing that you have someone to talk to! In the thrill of it all, you might stop being interested in what is going on with your old friends and family, but trust me when I tell you that even a 10 minute skype session is always worth it. Telling them about your new life, the things you’ve done, how you’re feeling, but also asking what has happened in their lives is very enjoyable. And I can assure you that you’ll want to feel them close to you when the homesickness finally kicks in – because it’s going to happen sooner or later!
Finding a balance between school, your new friends, and your life back home can be hard, just make sure to give everything the time it deserves. I know you might not be in the mood for staring at your phone/tablet/computer after 6 hours of online lectures, but take advantage of all the technology allowing us to stay connected; you can skype, play online games, have a Netflix Party… get creative!
10. Trust
Last, but certainly not least, the most important thing is that you trust everything will turn out the way it should. I do believe that everything happens for a reason, and that we don’t meet people by casualty.
Some of your plans will turn out exactly like you want them to, but, inevitably, some of your plans will be altered. Even if you didn’t get into your first choice of uni, or got offered a different accommodation from the one you asked for, or even ended up doing a different course from the one you had originally planned, trust that all of these things are just taking one step closer to the path you’re destined to be in.
Always keep in mind your biggest goals, dreams, and aspirations; fight for them with all of your heart. But if something goes ‘wrong’, perhaps life has something, a place, a chance, a person, better for you. Simply trust.
I hope you find at least some, if not all, of these tips useful! And please do feel free to share with anyone you think might need them. :)
Words By: Almudena Lopez de Cardenas Rodriquez
Edited By: Ellis Idris