Bruna Tolomeli (Brazil)

I am Bruna Tolomeli from Brazil studying a Master’s in Post Production Editing here at BU since September 2017. As soon as I was accepted to study at Bournemouth University, I was added to a WhatsApp group where I received precious information from my adviser and had the chance to meet people who were also packing up their lives and moving to a completely different country. This group, in addition to the webinars and live chats, helped me prepare for my arrival in Bournemouth and cleared up all my doubts.

Taking the stress out

For those coming from overseas such as myself, there are a lot of bureaucratic steps that must be taken. It can be confusing and even terrifying at times. Having participated in these online events helped relieve some of the tension I was feeling.

The webinars and live chats detailed the entire process step-by-step — from preparing to study abroad to actually arriving in the UK. They also addressed important information, such as, which documents we need to bring for registration (and advising us to carry these in our hand luggage!) to which adaptor we need to buy to charge our electronic devices.

Questions I didn’t think to ask

It might seem silly that they would have specific events regarding topics such as adapters, but it was extremely helpful for me. Before coming to the UK, I learned in a webinar that it would be wise to bring bedding for the first night in the accommodation since it isn’t provided. This simple piece of information saved my life!

Imagine having travelled ten hours on a plane, waiting two hours in an airport, travelling another two and a half hours, then getting onto a bus for another two and a half hours, getting to the accommodation around 10 pm with three suitcases (yes, three… please don’t judge – I am Brazilian and need quite a few layers of clothes to keep me warm in the UK winter). Arriving with bedding and being able to have a goodnight’s sleep was like a dream.

BU made sure I was fully prepared

I arrived in the UK feeling confident I had all the right documents that I needed to bring and knowing what to expect in terms of studying, culture and bureaucracy. Moving to a different country, especially if it is the first time doing so, can be extremely confusing for some people.

For me, it ended up being particularly easy because of the guidance given during the webinars and live chats conducted by the university. Hence, I encourage everyone to join the webinars and live chats; they are extremely helpful!

Written by Bruna Tolomeli (Brazil), MA Post Production Editing