Shruti Doshi
Hey everyone,
Firstly, massive congratulations for getting a place to study at the one and only, King’s College London! I bet you are all so excited to come to London and start your student experiences here! For many of you this may be your first university experience, or your first time in London, so I’m going to be giving you a few of my top tips on settling into university and navigating around London as a student.
Before you go to university
The excitement of university starts as soon as you find out you have been accepted and there are a few things you can do before Uni starts to help you settle in. Firstly, sort out the essentials. You may need to buy things for your Uni room/kitchen, set up a student bank account or purchase a student Oyster card. Many banks have student account offers so have a browse of the different options. You may want to visit London if you haven’t already to see the city and where uni is, or even have a look on Google maps and the tube map to see what’s around you. If you have social media, there are plenty of Facebook and Instagram groups which you can join. Here, you can meet your course mates, join groups or societies which you want to be part of, join accommodation groups and sometimes even find your flatmates through this which can be super useful!
Arriving at university
On arrival to your accommodation there will be plenty of students around to help you move in. After you have found your room, unloaded all the boxes from your car and settled in, get to know your flatmates! Some of them may arrive the day before or after you, but just knock on their doors, introduce yourself and initiate those early friendships. It may be a good idea to have a walk around the area with them or go to the shops together to buy your groceries.
At King’s the first two weeks are known as Fresher’s week. Here there will be lots of activities around campus and in your accommodation, student fairs and lots of things to do around the city too. My advice is saying yes to everything (within reason)! Get yourself stuck into the activities, join societies, attend the social events run by your course or accommodation because they are all so much fun and such a brilliant way of meeting people! Throughout Fresher’s week, there will be fewer academic/course related commitments so you will have plenty of time to immerse yourself in all the activities you wish to.
If I was to ask my friends how they felt arriving at university I would most likely here a lot of ‘ I was so excited’; ‘I was nervous’; ‘Leaving my home city was daunting’, ‘I’m scared I won’t make friends’ and definitely a lot of ‘I can’t wait!’. All of these feelings are completely normal and remember everyone will be in the same boat as you and feeling similar things. Nevertheless, if you find you are out of your depth or struggling with anything at all, King’s have a brilliant student support network in the university and within King’s residences. Please do make the most of this if you feel it is needed.
Outside of University
London is full of so many exciting attractions and there is something for everyone. Whether that is visiting museums or exhibitions, walking along the Thames, enjoying a bite to eat or shopping on Oxford Street. Always keep your student ID card with you as many places offer great student discounts, making days out much more affordable and student friendly.
Being the capital, London is very well connected to other places around the country and within the city itself. Popular ways to commute around London include the tube, bus or cycling. Student oyster cards give you good discounts when travelling on Transport for London (TFL) services and student railcards are handy for taking overground trains. City mapper is a great app for navigating around London too!
To finish, my best advice would be to take every opportunity you can and just have fun. University years are some of the best so make the most of every moment!
Good luck and see you soon!