How I settled into the university and Edinburgh as a new student
by Ruby, from Vietnam, studying Marketing (MSc)
Joining the University of Edinburgh and living in Edinburgh for the first time can be daunting, and here is what I did to ease my transition into this new life.
Arrive early during the Welcome Week
Welcome Week usually takes place a week before your official programme start date. Arriving before it began allowed me to have more time to settle into my new accommodation, buy everything I needed for the year and make new friends before my schedule started to be busy with studying and other commitments.
Engage in programme-specific orientation activities
These were a great opportunity to meet my cohort, familiarise yourself with key useful contacts for my study, and get an overall feel of the programme I am studying. These include not only joining face-to-face events, but also going through my programme and course overview documents, reading lists and key systems for my study such as LEARN, MyEd, DiscoverEd, etc.
Join (as many as possible) Welcome Week activities
Welcome Week is filled with activities every day for students like me to get to know the university and the city more. As your schedule can get busy with personal tasks, I’d highly recommend planning out your Welcome Week and picking out the events that interest you the most beforehand. Some events I participated in were campus tour, library tour, university gym tour, society and club taster sessions and social events for your student group (for example: postgraduate, international, programme-specific).
Take time to explore the city
Starting a new life can be hectic and busy, but don’t forget that you are living in Edinburgh, one of the most beautiful cities in the world in my opinion! Take some time out to visit the Castle, the Meadows, Arthur’s Seat, Calton Hill and other key attractions, or simply wander around to get used to the area where you’ll live in, take in the beauty of the city (and in my case, fall in love with it too!).
Stay connected to family and friends
Moving away from your family and friends for the first time can feel lonely and unsettling, especially at the beginning when you’re still finding your feet in this new life. Scheduling in some time to catch up with family and close friends from home or sending photos to keep them updated were a great source of comfort and motivation for myself during the transition period.
Wondering what it’s like to study MSc Marketing at the University of Edinburgh Business School or navigate student life in Edinburgh and the UK as an international student? Don’t hesitate to send me your questions on Unibuddy. Let’s get chatting!
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