Blogs

Marta Ortega Vega, psychology, King’s College London

Weronika Denes, psychology, University of Lincoln

In Poland on 6 December, we celebrate Santa Claus Day and exchange small gifts with our loved ones. Although this tradition is not common in the UK, my friends and I at university met up around this day to give each other “Secret Santa” presents and to spend some time together.

University can feel quite daunting for many people. It usually involves moving away from your family, friends and hometown and for some, it is their first taste of independence, which is scary and can induce many feelings of anxiety and fear.

There’s just something so magical about this time of year with the fairy lights, Christmas trees and smell of mince pies and mulled wine in the air. It makes for the prime Instagram image and universities are certainly getting in the spirit and sharing all the festive fun on their Instagram accounts. 

So take a scroll through some examples of how some universities are joining in the festive fun. And why not share some of your festive snaps on Instagram, tagging @timeshigheredstudent and I’ll share some of the best. 

Friends and family from Poland often ask me how I was able to move to the UK to study psychology with clinical psychology at the University of Lincoln.

In fact, moving here was one of the best decisions I ever made, as this experience has turned me into a more independent, open-minded and mature person who believes that any goal in life can be achieved with a little effort. 

Every year, students from all over the UK apply for college and university. For many, going to university is considered a rite of passage but it does not come without struggles for all students. There are worries about finances, balancing workloads and achieving the marks needed to progress into the future they would like to pursue.

Applying to American undergraduate programmes as an international student was a challenging experience because I had no idea if I would receive any financial aid to cover the cost of tuition. I was born in Mumbai, India and grew up in the city of Thane, where I attended a private school until the end of third grade.

We came to Canada from Punjab in India to pursue higher education. Sumeet came to Canada for a master’s degree, and stayed to finish her PhD as well, while Nav came to Canada to pursue a PhD after having spent almost two decades in the Indian education system

Below, we chronicle the struggles we faced in transitioning and adapting to the Canadian higher education environment.

I wanted to find a way to connect with and give back to my peers at the University of California, San Diego, which has an undergraduate population of more than 30,000 students.

In my first year, I got involved in the Food Recovery Network, a programme that pairs the problems of food waste and food insecurity in a way that helps solve them both.

Recent research by Cturtle, an employment network for international graduates and alumni who have studied in the UK, Australia, USA, Canada and New Zealand, has explored what international students deem the most important factors when choosing a university.