York has a very big international community and you will find here people coming from all over the world. For us internationals, moving to uni is even a bigger deal than for British students because we are not simply moving out from our parents’ house, we are also moving to a new country, with a different culture and different lifestyle.
Here are some of the most common worries of International Students, including myself, at the eve of the big move to England:
The language
We have been studying English for years. We have passed language tests and exams. We got our IELTS or TOEFL certification that gave us access to British universities. But still, everyone of us is worried about moving to a country where you will have to speak a language that is not your mother tongue.
We start filling our minds with plenty of “what ifs:
What if I do not understand what my lecturer is saying?
What if my writing style is not suitable for English unis?
Culture
If the language barrier doesn’t truly exist, culture shock does! I will briefly write about two aspects that got me disorientated in my first weeks in York.
The famous (or infamous) British drinking culture
This is not a criticism, because it is part of the identity of the country…it is just a bit overwhelming for those of us who are not used to it. In the end, it is quite funny when you overtake the initial confusion.
Courtesy
British people are extremely kind. They put “please” at the end of every question, are sometimes over-apologetic, and always ask “how you doing?” (sometimes meaning simply “Hello”, sometimes meaning “How are you?”) every time they see you.
The struggle, at first, is not to seem impolite when you don’t apologise for everything, or if you forget to put “please” at the end of your question.
Homesickness
Homesickness is the biggest and most serious problem of them all. Living thousands of miles away from home can be a real struggle. You can’t just go home for the weekend as many British friends will do… you will have to wait until the next long holiday to fly back home.
However, York has many International Societies… you can join that of your country to meet all the people who share your same nationality, share the burden with them.
Moreover, when you get into the swing of the first term at uni, with the academic commitments, the new friends, the extracurricular activities, you will soon discover that you haven’t time to get homesick and that the holidays are fast approaching and you definitely need to book your ticket back home before the flight sells out.
The most important thing to remember:
No matter how far away you come from, England is an amazing country to live in and York will welcome you and make you feel part the wonderful University of York community.