Hi guys, my name is JC and I’m currently doing my Masters in Maritime Archaeology at BU.

When it came to leaving Canada for England, I chose to leave earlier, to arrive a few days before it was time to move into my flat. I saw this as a way to get my bearings in Bournemouth and go shopping for items I would need. This meant that during orientation week I could focus on learning how life on campus would be.

Enrolment

During orientation week, one day is assigned as your enrolment day. For us international students, we have a pre-enrolment check where they need to see your passport and visa, and your transcript (the original copies only). Whatever you do don’t forget one of these, or else you can’t continue enrolling until they’ve been checked. Once this is done, you then get your picture taken for your student card.

Classes

During this week, you get an introduction about your course and department. There’s a course on how the library system works, how to search for books and articles, and how to submit your assignments online. There was even a class by a police officer, explaining how when you move to a new place it’s important to learn the laws here. He also explained how to keep ourselves safe and not put ourselves in danger.

Fresher Fair

To end orientation week, they finish with a fair, where companies come to the Talbot campus to promote themselves and to give out free items. This was also the time that you could go to the SUBU (Student Union Bournemouth University) building and register for the different societies and clubs, since most are there and have a table set up. During the fair, I went to the gym and ended up getting a bag of free things you would need in your flat, like toothpaste, dish soap and some food from the grocery store Lidl.

JC