HallsLife

What's it like studying abroad? Top tips from your Frenchay RA

By FrenchayRAs 21 Sep 2020

Meet Nathan! Nathan lived in Wallsourt Park and was a Resident Assistant studying for a master's in engineering. He has got some great tips on what it's like to study abroad.

Studying abroad is an experience that will change your life forever, you will grow so much from this experience. Studying abroad is all about learning to be independent, you will face some challenges, but honestly, you're going to have the best time ever!

From the very basics like shopping, cooking and making new friends to more advanced situations like taking care of yourself when you get sick, you are going to learn a lot.

Yes, it is perfectly normal to feel home-sick; yes, it is perfectly normal to struggle at the very beginning of the term, but these are things that you can overcome.

Here are my four insights into moving abroad ...

Firstly, don’t feel like as you are at university, you are obligated to be independent right away.

Give your family or friends a call on Skype or Facetime when you miss them. They will be so happy to hear from you!

Secondly, there are a lot of ways to know new friends quickly

Apart from course mates that you’ll spend a lot of time with you can join societies run by people who come from your home country.

There is always a freshers’ fair at the beginning of each year, at the fair, there will be representative from every society at the university, you can sign up to whichever you find interested in.

Apart from the society that represent your home country, I would recommend signing up for sports club, playing sports is good for your physical and mental wellbeing and a great way to meet new people.

In the true spirit of 2020, Freshers' Fair is going virtual! While we may not be coming at you in our normal style, that doesn't mean you won't get the chance to learn about everything on offer at The Students’ Union at UWE. We will still have our sports clubs, we will still have our societies, and yes, we will still have freebies as well as games and competitions. Find out more here.

Practice your cooking skills before you come to university

You might not need to cook at all at home as food is always ready waiting for you. Cooking skills are essential at university, as its costly and impractical to eat out every single day.

You could hit up your family or friends for some cooking lessons before you arrive, but if you don’t get the chance fear not, BBC Good Food is your best friend. There are tons of recipes on the website for you to choose from. Start with easy recipes, then proceed to some more advanced ones, after you finish university, you will be a Masterchef.

Finally, do seek help from the university whenever there is doubts

There are many different services at the university waiting to help you when you're in need; Accommodation, Finance, Studies, Physical and mental health. The worst thing to do is to try and deal with a problem on your own, make sure you reach out whenever you are in need!

Studying abroad ✈️✈️ could be experience that a lot of you guys have dreamt of for a long time and now you have a chance to experience that yourself. Enjoy your time as a student and work hard, play hard 😄