Sujata Singh Shekhawat, India

Moving from school to college especially in another country, is a time filled with excitement as well as a little fear about how things might be when you get there. It is  perfectly normal to feel like this, you will not be the only one in this situation and everyone else will have those same mixed emotions. A lot of things need to be done in a very short space of time, so you may need proper guidance and help to make the process run more smoothly. I decided to choose Bournemouth University for my postgraduate course and decided to go straight after my graduation. I had no idea how to apply for a VISA or how to book my accommodation in the UK. However, as soon as I enrolled myself on the course, I started getting emails about various online events that BU organises for the international students. The various online events were:

Whatsapp live chats

In the live chats, I joined the Whatsapp group through the link that I got in the email. You are given a scheduled time for the chat and you can ask questions to students already studying at Bournemouth. I come from India which is very warm, so I was concerned about the weather and how to prepare myself for that, I also asked whether it was easy to buy vegetarian and vegan food in supermarkets. These chats are good for those who want to know more about the university and life in the UK and prefer typing instead of speaking on phone.

Phone calls

I also booked a call with a current student at BU and asked all the questions I had relating to scholarships, the course and BU in general.  I liked speaking directly to a student as I got quick and immediate responses.

Webinars

In the webinars, different topics are covered these are subjects that the university thinks are most important for international students. During the webinar, there is a question and answer section, where anyone can ask a question. The first webinar that I attended was about applying for a VISA. Attending this helped me to understand the whole process a lot better and if I had any doubts I could ask a question. I never thought it would be so easy to understand things through a digital platform. They run many webinars on everything from booking accommodation to arriving in the UK.

In the end I realised that I was worrying a lot unnecessarily. The online events helped to ease my nerves and I was so relieved, I felt as though I was supported each step of the way throughout my application process.

Sujata Singh Shekhawat, India, MA Media and Communication