Once you received an offer from the university and successfully submitted your student visa application, you're pretty much all set for moving to the UK to start your new journey as an international university student. 

However, there are certain things that you need to prepare in advance to make a smooth start as the first term begins. Have you heard of the Freshers' Week? 

It simply means a welcome week which is full of social events organised by the university or your parent school and the completion of important administrative tasks. The purpose of having the Freshers Week is to give you some time to familiarise with the new surroundings including the campus and the city. 

Today, we will talk about 5 things that you should complete during the Freshers Week. Let's begin with registration. 

1. Registration 

As soon as you arrive, you will have some paperwork to fill in during the freshers week that allows you to become an official student of your university. Otherwise, you won’t be able to receive your student ID card that you always need to use all the university facilities, including libraries and gyms etc. It usually takes up to 10 days. Therefore, it is always good to get it done as soon as possible!

2. Meeting Your Tutors

One of the key meetings that you will have during Freshers week is meeting your course tutors who’ll be teaching you throughout the term, and a personal tutor who you can go to when you want to ask advice. Since you will have approximately 3 - 5 meetings with your personal tutor during term time, leaving a great impression is very important. Therefore, make sure you are not late for the first meeting with your personal tutor. 

3. Preparation for Studying 

It’s unlikely to be given assignments during Freshers’ Week. However, you will receive your first reading lists and lecture timetables. Please keep in mind that this is the the time to familiarise with the location of lecture rooms and libraries. 

4. BRP Collection 

During Freshers week, as an international student, you shouldn't forget to collect your BRP. A BRP is a UK visa and this will be your ID card in the UK.

Once it's ready to collect, your university will send an email with instructions on how and where to collect your BRP. Some students get to collect from their campus straightaway however, some students need to visit post office or police station. This totally depends on which country/region you are coming from. Thus, please keep checking all the emails regarding BRP collection from the university carefully.  

5. Meeting New People

Lastly, in the Freshers' Week, you will get to meet new people, including your coursemates. There will be multiple activities and fairs. This doesn't  necessarily mean that you will find your best friends on the first week of the university, however meeting new people from different parts of the world and join new events will definitely broaden your eyesights. Do join those events and make friends! 

If you are a UKEC student, I am sure our education advisors have already guided you about this to make sure that you settle down in the new place easily. Even if you are not, you shouldn't worry too much, as we will keep sharing useful tips on our Instagram and Facebook page. Then, we'll be back with new tips next week!