Thank you for reading my blog and following along on my journey at City so far! As usual, I’m going to begin by emphasising the subjectivity of this post. Everyone is different, and this post is just “my two cents” on how you can spend your summer as an international student (as a first-year international student, to be specific!)

Our generation can often feel a lot of pressure to always be busy, in addition to the pressure to continuously advance ourselves professionally for the sake of our future careers. Because of this, many university students opt to spend their summer holidays either interning, working or participating in external school-based activities.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, there is a danger of allowing yourself to think that if you do not take part in any of these that you are “lazy” or less than your friends who are taking part in these activities.

My advice to a first-year student, especially one who is taking a challenging course that does not allow them the leisure of much free time, is to sleep your summer away. Okay, not quite! But, do not put unnecessary pressure on yourself to remain busy in the name of trying to keep up with everyone else. If you are able to travel or visit your home country, even better. It is very rejuvenating to go back home after a year of living in a foreign country. Rest, have fun with your friends, bond with your family, and generally take a break from the life that you’ve come from and that you will go back to. This is not to say that you should do absolutely nothing productive, you could learn a language, take a dance class, learn that instrument you’ve always wanted to, etc.

However, for those that actually want to take part in all these things, by all means, add value to your life! My perspective depends on so many factors, some of which are: your personality, your course, your attitude towards your home country and your goals. Also, in later years of university I do believe that you should do things related to your career, and spend your time wisely and deliberately.

Generally, I’m trying to say that if you’ve just began university, you mustn’t let the “overkill” mentality control you – because it easily can! Life is short and before you know it, you’ll be starting your career and working your way up the ladder. Therefore, there is no need to rush into it – sometimes it’s important to just press “pause” and enjoy your time as as student!

Everybody is different and not everyone will necessarily be “homesick” while they are studying abroad.

However, at one point or another I believe all international students end up missing something about home. This blog post focuses on what you can do when that happens.

Stay in touch with what’s happening at home

This can be done in various ways, like calling or texting someone at home or watching and reading about the current news in your home country. These simple acts tend to make the distance from home seem much smaller.

Maintain constant communication with family and friends

Technology has made this very easy, so there should be no excuse for not doing it! If you’re truly homesick, chances are your friends who are also attending universities in other parts of the world may also be going through the same thing. They will be your greatest solace, while your family and friends who are still back home are always a phone call away.

Make your room feel like home

This might seem insignificant, but treating your accommodation as just a place to sleep might make you feel like you’re in a prison. Put pictures on your wall, buy your favourite colour of bedding, decorate your room! The cosier it is, the more comfortable you will be and the faster you will settle in.

Cook your favourite foods

If there are certain types of foods unique to your home country that you really enjoy, make sure to cook them whenever you need a taste of home!

Keep a decent circle of friends

The people you spend most of your time with make all the difference. It’s obviously easier said than done, but once you surround yourself with good friends who have positive energy, living away from home won’t take such a toll. If you’re lucky enough to know someone from home who is also studying in the UK, visit them often. It is very easy to be so caught up in your own schedule that your forget to make plans! Seeing a familiar face is always comforting.

In this blog post, I shall be touching on a few challenges that I faced as an international student in London. You may not necessarily face these same challenges, however this was my own personal experience of adjusting to life in the UK.

1. The winter weather is harsh: coming from a country that lies on the equator, I am not used to experiencing any sort of extreme temperatures. It is therefore no surprise that my first winter in London was pretty much unbearable. I had never taken the weather discussion that seriously until I came here and realised just how much the weather can impact your mood.
2. Culture shock: I feel like this is something one can only truly understand after experiencing it. African culture tends to be more collectivist; there is generally more unity and the sense of community is ever present, whereas in the UK it can tend to be quite individualistic. You may notice differences a lot when you first arrive, but before long this feeling will settle.
3. The rush: I remember I had lived in my student accommodation for just one week when I received numerous flyers and emails containing information and reminders regarding the need to find a new place to move into the next year. I soon came to learn the importance of planning everything well in advance, because many things work like this here.
4. Self-reliance: Living away at university and in the UK, you are basically responsible for doing everything for yourself. This may be different to what you were used to living in your home country. A year into my life in the UK and there are still some small things I seem to never get used to, like packing my own groceries after checking out at the supermarket.
5. Living abroad can be lonely: not many people will mention that in the diaspora, sometimes when you’re surrounded by a group of people is when you’ll feel most alone. At the end of the day you’re in a foreign country and if it it’s not similar to what you’ve always known, then it might take a longer time wrapping your head around it.

and last but not least…

6. Avocados are small and expensive!

I hope mentioning my own challenges doesn’t discourage you from studying abroad in the UK, but instead allows you to better prepare for your life-changing move.

How to prepare for exams? This is a hard one! I do not feel like I have mastered this part of university yet, especially because I’ve just finished my first year and therefore have limited experience of end-of-year exams. However, I do have some “don’ts” that I believe, if I had followed, may have lessened my frustration and could help others get it right the first time:

1. Don’t assume that what worked for you in high school/A-Levels/IB/etc. will work in university: it’s a different ball game, thus a different game plan is required! The sooner you realise this, the sooner you will begin to work on a different approach of studying and learning techniques that suit your degree, and the easier the exam period will be.
2. Don’t procrastinate: just don’t do it! Although you might get away with it during term time, during exam period just don’t do it. I, for one, always think that I have more time than I actually do. Don’t convince yourself that you can do it tomorrow because it reaches a point where your “tomorrows” have ended and it’s the night before your exam and you’re trying to learn your entire module and the effects are detrimental; not only to your exam results but to your mental health and general well-being.
3. Don’t let an exam you’ve already done affect your next exams negatively: granted, not all your exams will go the way that you want them to, be it your fault or life’s fault. Nonetheless, giving up on your following exams will be a very big mistake that you can easily avoid. Don’t cry over spilt milk, just forget it and study for the others.

There are also some “do’s” that I believed worked for me:

1. Do study when you’re most effective: I cannot stress just how important it is to work only when you know you’re constructive. When you are genuinely fatigued, go to sleep and try again tomorrow (but refer to point number 2 above, it is sometimes hard to balance these two).
2. Do socialise and take breaks: maybe it’s just because I had many exams that seemed to last forever, but it was a very draining time. I found that sometimes just forgetting that I’m still doing exams and taking part in social plans that on the face of it may have seemed reckless actually replenished my energy. Studying alone for long periods will drive you to insanity, take care of yourself.
3. Do stay healthy: maintain your normal diet and sleep routine, try not to miss meals in the name of staying on track (especially international students who have to shop and cook for themselves, which takes quite a bit of time and energy). Physical strength leads to mental strength and it is very easy to choose to ignore this.

At the end of the day, remember that exams are not the end of the world so do not let them kill you. But also remember that exams are (unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you view it) a necessary way of testing your progress. Therefore, your mind-set and strategy should be based on awareness of these truths and should be tailored towards your course and the kind of person that you are.

My name is Nina Wanjala, born and raised in Kenya and currently a first-year undergraduate student studying the BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science programme at Cass Business School, City, University of London.

The reason I chose to study at Cass Business School was primarily due to my chosen course. The subject of actuarial science is quite a niche discipline, therefore it was important for me to choose a reputable university which had the necessary resources to enable me to obtain the most from my degree. Cass Business School’s BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science is a relatively established course compared to other universities and I really liked the way the degree was structured.

Regarding why I chose to study the subject of actuarial science, it all came down to the fact that I wanted a degree that offered me a level of intellectual satisfaction and the tools to practically apply mathematics to the real world and to my areas of interest, such as finance and risk management. Although I enjoy mathematics and its principles I feel that the interdisciplinary nature of actuarial science creates a balance between the abstract and social sciences, which is one of the things that attracted me to the course.

As an international student, the application process involved applying through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), about which all information can be found online and on City, University of London’s website. This part was quite straightforward – the UCAS website was very easy to use and clearly outlined all the steps and guidelines for the application process. At this stage, all I required were my IGCSE and AS grades, A2 predicted grades, personal statement, an academic reference and other details such as personal information and previous educational background. Because I studied the British curriculum at an international school in Kenya my application journey began here, but it is different for students who study their country’s own national curriculum – in this case, gaining a place on a course may involve studying a foundation course first.

After applying directly, receiving my offers and selecting my firm and insurance choices through UCAS, I then utilised an agent for the rest of the application process. Applying for my visa was the most stressful stage, even with early preparation and comprehensive information – I would therefore advise everyone to begin this process early enough. Also, ensure you know what City specifically requires as some universities do not require you to take an English proficiency test while others do, so this should also be handled early on.

After this I applied for accommodation through City’s website, where I selected my preferred choice of halls of residence. Finally, in order to prepare myself for the move I conducted thorough research of Cass/City and London, the vibrant city in a country I had never visited before, as well as countless reading of student blogs and watching of university videos on City’s YouTube channel.

I cannot say my journey here was completely smooth or consistently difficult but there were certain things that could have been done differently to ease the process and some of which were quite simple. All in all, I am grateful for my experience.