My First Days in the UK:  Enjoying FresheR's Week

Meet Hayley, one of our bloggers for the 2017-2018 academic year!  Hayley is studying at Brunel University London.

As Walt Disney once said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Starting a new journey and moving across the world is a scary thought, but I am so glad that my curiosity took me down this path. Moving to the UK was both the scariest and most exciting thing I’ve done, so I write this to let all those reading that while it is intimidating it is an experience you won’t regret!

With two plane rides, one lay-over, and many movies behind me I have finally arrived and settled into my new home in London. Arriving and going through customs was much easier than I thought, and having all my documents ready and with me were key! The immigrations officer was very kind but asked me plenty of questions to ensure everything was in order. Don’t stress about what they ask; it's all things you will already know such as what school you’re going to, how much money you have available to you, and what you are studying. Have your visa documents and your CAS number and you will be set! Standing in line took longer than the interview did!

I arrived on a Wednesday morning, and the International Student Orientation began the next day. I highly recommend attending this to anyone who is able to! This is where you met many other students who have arrived alone and are looking to make friends, and allows you to get comfortable with your surroundings before the UK students arrive and everything starts up! They also let you complete your registration early and skip the long lines. I was lucky to have a trip to Oxford planned as part of the orientation, which was the best part! It allowed us to get off campus, hang out with other new students, and see a beautiful, historic English city.

After that Fresher’s week began and gave us new students time to both become familiar with the campus, the town centre nearby, and the many, many offerings on campus including: sport clubs, societies, library services, the fitness centre, and the very lively night life with the on-campus pub and nightclub. It was definitely nice to have this week to get more settled, meet new people, and get comfortable before starting up classes!

My biggest piece of advice to any new students moving next fall is to remember that everyone else around you is probably feeling the same way! It is a scary thing to move to a new country and not know anyone else, but don’t feel like you are alone. Introduce yourself to those around you, attend the events during Fresher’s Week, and be social! It can be tempting to just stay in and keep to yourself, but put yourself out there and make the most of your new beginning!

Working with Across the Pond helped make this transition as smooth as possible, and if you would like to find out more about studying in the UK please contact one of our advisors.