First week on campus

A good start to your studies will really help you. Take some time to think about your first week – plan how to make the most of it and how to deal with the challenges.

Background

There will be events that you will need to attend (such as registration), others that are optional, but useful (such as campus tours) and others that you might want to opt out from as they might be a bit overwhelming for you. Planning ahead how you are going to spend your first few days will ensure that you do everything you have to do, many of the things you might want to do and keep you from being distracted from the many suggestions and opportunities you may have upon arrival.

It could also be a good idea to put some notifications in your calendar about things you might forget once you are on campus, such as doing your laundry, going grocery shopping or taking your medication (if applicable). One of the first (and hardest!) adulthood lessons is that if you don’t remember to do something, it simply won’t get done.

What to do next?

Look at the Welcome Week timetable and plan how you will participate.

Practical tips

If you can, it is very useful to arrange to visit the campus before the official start of term. The campus will be much quieter during the summer break, and you can use this time to visit your department without the distraction of other students. Department staff will usually be happy to meet with you and show you around the department.

Finally, a few days before coming to the University check out the Welcome Week schedule and plan your first days on campus.

Questions to think about

We recommend that you plan:

  • where you will go during breaks between lectures and lunchtimes?
  • where the shops are on campus?
  • for travelling between your accommodation and department
  • to have regular early contact with support staff in order to get any early problems ironed out quickly.

Additional information and links

The main UOB website had lots of useful information to help you prepare, for example:

UoB – New starters information

UoB – Open days, what to expect.

UoB – Arrivals, What to expect.