Hi! I am Sujata Shekhawat from India and I am studying MA Media and Communication. Bournemouth University is really diverse, and I was amazed to see that it has students from almost all the parts of the world, which is really amazing. Studying at an international university with such a diverse range of nationalities helps you learn a lot.

Whenever you go to a new place you get a warm welcome, and when you leave you get a farewell. With that in mind, in this blog I am going to talk about the International Commencement Ceremony. The ICC is an official ceremony organised by Bournemouth University to welcome new students from around the globe, and attendance is free!

I still remember when I attended this ceremony. It was a great experience and I had a fantastic time. The ceremony is headed by the Vice Chancellor Professor John Vinney, and it has a host of local dignitaries and special guests. It’s a formal welcome ceremony for international students and it is:

Good for making friends: The ICC is a really good way to meet international students, make new friends and also meet the faculty. I am still friends with people I met for the first time at the ICC.

Introduction of the BU Values: The moment I reached the venue, I was greeted with lovely decorated tables and place cards mentioning the faculty. There were four different sections: Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Management, Faculty of Media and Communication and Faculty of Health and Social Science. After the ceremony started, we got a lovely introduction about BU’s core values, and we were shown a video of BU Alumni and their parents to motivate us and give us nice vibes as we started our BU journey.

Dinner and Quiz: We were also treated to a lovely dinner and drinks at the ceremony, and there was a fun quiz!

My best moment of the ceremony was when the Vice Chancellor himself came up to us and met us personally. I was so impressed by this gesture and it was something really astonishing for me. Back home in my country I would never imagine the Vice Chancellor of a university welcoming students individually. To attend this ceremony, you will need to register online. You’ll get an email in September to register, but you definitely shouldn’t miss this ceremony. The warm welcome of the ICC makes you feel like you are an integral part of Bournemouth University.