Settling into university life as an international student
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Change can be overwhelming. Even though coming to a new place and the thought of living alone can be scary, just know it is really fun and exciting. Everyone around you is going through the same thing and among these people only you’ll find a second family.
Hey! My name is Mahi Mishra and I am an incoming final year Accounting and Finance student, here at Lancaster University. Through this blog I am going to share with you some tips that helped me, as an international student, settle into the university life.
Firstly, it is very important to save emergency contacts such as your college porters and security office. Other than that get to know who are your college managers and the JCR Officers. The JCR is a student body that works closely with both the student’s union and the college managers. They are great people to go to for any sort of advice and any college related issues. Being on my college’s (Fylde) JCR, I can assure you we are always there to help you out and make your life on campus as enjoyable as possible.
In terms of academics, it is very important to know the faculty in your department. Such as your course co-ordinator and career counsellors. Networking with them truly gave me a better idea about the department and the course. There is also a team of academic representatives that are a group of students, whose role is to communicate fellow student’s opinions to the department. So, I totally encourage you get to know who the academic reps are in your year.
Other than this, if you are an incoming student and you feel you will need some personal guidance on settling into the academic life, LUMS has a mentoring program. It is called the LUMS Leading Lights program. You can drop an email to the management school and request them to enrol you in the program. I was a mentee in my first year, and it was really helpful.
Participate in events held by societies and put yourself out there. It really helps you initially when settling in and feeling less alone. If you are feeling a tad shy, remember everyone is in the same boat and there will be so many people feeling the exact same. Also, I feel like it is slightly underestimated how much it can help you feel settled, so I encourage you to go explore! You are in a brand new and exciting city. Going out and exploring can really make you fall in love the place.
I’d like to conclude by just saying that, help is readily available at Lancaster University. You just need to know who to go to and you will always have support and guidance.
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