Student Life

If you plan to study abroad, it’s probably a “smashing” idea, as the British would call it, to jump into the melting pot of cultures called the United Kingdom.
International students to the UK have a choice of over 100 universities and other higher education institutions.
 
According to statistics from the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA), the UK (England, hosts 485,000 international students, pursuing their degrees.
 
As many as 342,000 are from non-EU countries, including about 120,000 from China, 26,000 from India, and 20,000 from the US.
 
The UK universities with the highest number of international students are University College London, the University of Manchester, and the University of Edinburgh.
 
The most popular subjects are business and administrative studies, social studies, medicine and allied studies, and creative arts.
 
International student life in the UK
 
Safety
Campuses in the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) are safe, but it is better not to ignore precautions.
 
Attend a safety talk by the police during the Orientation Week; if you walk or travel late at night, do so in groups; prefer well-lit streets and avoid short-cuts at night; use ATMs during the day, and never write down your PIN.
 
Learning environment
Generally, undergraduate students in the UK attend classes for 15-25 hours a week, during which they are encouraged to be creative and interactive during discussions, independently analyze topics, and develop a capacity for teamwork on their projects.
 
Almost always, an assignment or a project has to be submitted, and students need to balance the time between studies and leisure activities.
Critical thinking and self-learning are encouraged, and some lecturers let their students call them by their first names.
 
Campus life
Drinking tea or enjoying a pint at a pub is part of the UK university culture, and so are campus societies and clubs that cover many interests and hobbies.
The UK is a center of world music from hip-hop to opera, and university campuses are venues for big-name artistes and bands.

Special to Oxford and Cambridge Universities is “punting,” in you use a flat-bottomed boat and propel yourself down a river using a pole that you push along the river bottom.
According to Times Higher Education surveys, the universities with the best campus are Loughborough University (library, spa, sports facilities), Exeter (quality accommodation, huge digital library), Lancaster (shops, bars, jazz concerts), Dundee (cheap and cozy), Edge Hill (location in Cambridge, great housing), Sheffield (urban campus, art galleries), Buckingham (landscape), St. Andrews (breathtaking beaches), Liverpool Hope (facilities, landscape, social life), and Leeds Arts (libraries, music venues). Newcastle, Leeds, and Dundee have a great nightlife, too.

You need to check out campus quality by four criteria — social life (are there clubs, art venues?), community vibe (who will be your college mates?), extracurriculars (sports facilities, competitions?), and campus environment (near a city, safety, landscape?).
 
Weather
The UK climate is characterized by low humidity, warm summers, and mild winters, with sunshine and heat waves, rain and snowfall. It is often cold and wet, so pack lots of warm clothes and a raincoat.
Summer is only rarely hot. Long, bright days mark the summers, and cold, short days the winters.
 
Culture
The UK, comprising England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, each with its own distinct culture, is home to over 67 million people, 15 percent of whom were born overseas.
 
The people have a sense of justice and respect for law and order. They have a subtle and wry sense of humor, which is not always easily understood by people from other countries.
You may know a lot about the UK but may still worry that you may not fit into its social and academic culture. What if you fail to make friends?
 
There are ways out of your predicament:
Talk to other international students who are probably going through the same situation.
Take some things from India to make you feel at home.
Try to speak to other students and make friends, even if proves difficult in the beginning.
Join students’ clubs to socialize; talk with your mentor/tutor about your concerns.
Be polite, and learn to say thank you and sorry.
Be punctual, as it is considered rude to be late.
Follow the queue system.
If you’re invited to a party, take a small gift, and make a return invitation.
The drinking culture is widespread among students, but don’t feel pressured to drink.
Don’t smoke in public places as it is banned.
Don’t discriminate against anyone on the basis of gender, age, class, or disability.
 
A great way of learning to be comfortable with the culture of a new country is to travel. Take a coach or train to enjoy the different cities, towns, and the countryside.
Book your seat well in advance for the cheapest tickets. Coaches are cheaper, but are only half as fast as trains.
 
You can also takes ferries or trams, or go on a walking tour.
Students get to go sightseeing and enjoy sites such as the Lake District and the Yorkshire moors, the hills and mountains of Scotland and Wales, the coastline in all parts of the UK, World Heritage Sites such as the Stonehenge, and the birthplace of Shakespeare.
Clubs organize trips to these places, besides get-togethers, and festival celebrations.
Universities organize “Fresher’s Week,” which helps break the ice. Traditional museums and contemporary art galleries are attractions, too.
 
Many students organize or go to parties, but there are options such as pubs and restaurants, concert halls, music and theater festivals, and other cultural events.
Local authorities, colleges, and private clubs have sports and fitness centers. You can also participate in organized sports activities, some of which are part of charitable events such as the London Marathon.
 
UK cities are public-transport-friendly and there’s really no need for a car, especially for students. But you feel you just have to own a car, remember the costs involved, such as petrol and maintenance.
 
If you’re a foreign student who has a driver’s licence from a non-EU country, you can drive in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales, without Northern Ireland) for 12 months.
If you get caught without a driver’s licence, insurance, or vehicle fitness certificate, the charges may affect your student visa.
 
Part-time jobs
Part-time jobs are a great way to earn an income and bring down the financial burden of studying in the UK.
 
But it may not help you meet the entire living costs and may also distract you from your studies if you take on too much.
 
If you are from a non-EU country, you can work 20 hours a week and full time during the holidays. But this depends on a number of factors, and you will have to check your eligibility.
 
The national minimum pay for part-time work is £7.38 per hour for 21-24-year-olds, and £7.83 for 25-year-olds and older.
 
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