University of Manchester Students' Union, Manchester, England

October 4 2019

Connor Morris Photography [Distorted Sound]

Starting at UAL in September? Starting University can be really scary, especially when you’re new to the country too. We spoke to first year Film Practice student Neli about her experiences of moving to London from Madrid, and settling at UAL.

Neli Urruela, 1st year BA Film Practice, London College of Communication

Giving up your comfort zone can be really scary. You know how to do the first steps; you pack up your things, say goodbye to your friends and family, and get in the plain. But then suddenly you’re in an empty room with a bunch of mixed feelings and emotions such as euphoria, fear, impatience, homesickness, panic… and you’re really not sure what to do next.

On your first day in London you’ll be completely lost. But seriously, don’t worry about it – that’s normal. When you move to a city like London you’ll have to get used to using transport a lot: you’ll get three buses, the tube, mind the gap and change two times to finally get on a flying dragon to get to college, and it’s impossible to learn all the tube routes in one day (Google Maps is your friend).

You might be late for your first lecture. Your uni calendar might not synchronise properly (damn wifi) so it looks like you’re supposed to be at three classes at the same time. And then you’ll probably end up attending a quantum physics lesson, when you’re supposed to be in photography 101, and by the time you realise this you’ll be too embarrassed to get up and leave.

And yet I promise you this: it’ll be fine.

Give yourself time. You’ll soon get used to speak in another language (fully understanding British accent will be like the level-up-special-combo), and you will meet loads of students in the same situation (and most of them will be really interesting cool people that you wouldn’t have met otherwise). With time you’ll feel proud of yourself for getting into a such an amazing adventure, and you should! It’s hard to live with strangers, whether you are in halls or not, and everyone knows it’s not easy working and studying at the same time, but it’s completely worth it and it does pay off.

Studying in London is an incredible experience. Not only will you be living in another country, but you’ll get to know lots of different cultures (not just British!) which will give you a much richer vision of the world. It will help you to get to know yourself better, and it’ll give you the connections and power to do anything you want to, and to believe so.

Any fear you experienced in the beginning will turn into confidence, and any struggle you face will temper your will. Adversity can be a great teacher that will help you solve anything life may throw your way.

But don’t forget to make the most of your student life, go to events, don’t be afraid of meeting new people and get involved in societies and communities! Unfortunately they won’t give you the information about those straight away, but if you ask anyone there you’ll surely find what you’re looking for.

Someone once told me, “If it excites you and scares the hell out of you at the same time you should probably do it.” I think they were right.”

I'm in an ongoing dispute with my uni over the one changing places toilet being broken leaving me without a loo on campus. So far I've had lots of useless "we're looking into the situation" type responses and no concrete "We understand the problem and we're going to do X to resolve it"

The disability support office have done all they can... but the union can do more!

Because they aren't part of the uni they can raise more of a stink about it and hopefully get some proper responses. It's totally confidential as well. And if the uni continues being useless and not fixing the issue, the union can support me navigating the long and complex formal complaints procedure (hopefully it won't come to this, but if it does, they've got my back)

They can offer loads of advice about pretty much any aspect of uni life. Student finance issues? Need to repeat a year? Discrimination? The union is there to support you and provide impartial advice!

Coming to London (possibly for the first time) is as scary as it is exciting. We know this! 

So, to help ease you in, we’ve put together a series of helpful tips to get you through the transition, whether you’re a local or not.

Enroll online 💻

You might have received information from UAL about how to enroll online. If not, don’t fear, there’s a good few weeks before you should chase it up!

It’s important to enrol online before you arrive to start your course, as you will need evidence of enrolment to get your student card, which you will need to enter the buildings for lectures. You’ll also need to have enrolled before coming to any of our Freshers’ Festival events, taking place on campus. We don’t want you to miss those! If you’re confused about this at all just email your course contact for help.

Get your finances sorted... 💰

If you need student finance or a visa to study here then make sure that you get these sorted out before you come. The student loans company has lots of information on the website to guide you.

… and ensure they’re safe!

Make sure that your bank accounts are all in order and that you have all the details stored in a safe place. You will guaranteed need some amount of money for something almost immediately, so ensure that you’re always able to access your bank account. It’s a good idea to set up online banking. Check out how to manage your money better here.

Map it out 📍

London is a beautiful city to get lost in, but that’s not much comfort if you’re running late for something! If you’re at all unsure about what to do, then it can be a good idea to plan out some of your most useful journeys (such as from your accommodation to your campus) ahead of time so that you’ll always be in the right place at the right time. For tips on this check out our transport post.

Keep your contacts close ☎️

It’s a good idea to not only take your mobile phone with you when you’re out and about, but also to memorise or write down the important contact numbers - just in case you lose your phone or run out of battery. That way you’ll always be able to contact someone in an emergency. Major key: buy yourself a power bank!

“Alright, mum…”

Osun Guber: Over 20,000 Osun students endorse Oyetola for second term

Students under the umbrella of National Association of Nigeria Students/Joint Campus Committee, (NANS/JCC), Osun Axis, and the National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS) on Thursday passed vote of confidence in the administration of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, saying he deserves to be re-elected for a second term. The obviously ecstatic students who had earlier embarked on a solidarity…