Accommodation: settling in as an international student

Before you arrive

I am an international first-year student from Hong Kong and my accommodation is in the beautiful Constantine College. When I arrived in the UK, I had to order necessities such as pillows and bedding online, as I didn’t realise that I needed to bring that with me. I wished that I had ordered these before I arrived, as it was a bit of an issue to begin with. However, the University had a parcel collecting point where I could retrieve everything that I had ordered. You can choose the nearest date and not worry about the time, as the staff will actually keep the parcel for you.

Meeting your flatmates

I live with 11 flatmates and we share 1 kitchen. We have separate sections in the fridge and the cupboards to make sure we don’t mix them up. When we first started, we set some rules for cleaning and taking out the rubbish; this definitely avoids any bickering! The cleaners check our rubbish bins once a week and help us to clean the shared areas. We are all very responsible and make sure that we do our chores, which works well. We generally have a great place to live and have good relationships with each other, which is really important for me. When you are living together, you need to have a good level of respect for it to work. Fulfill your chores and make sure you are patients with others too.

My tips for the first week

The first week or so can be stressful as you are moving to a completely new country. My advice for you would be:

• Prepare your daily necessities and order them online before you arrive, so you are not without
• Set out rules between you and your flatmates for the shared areas and keep it tidy
• Help each other as much as you can
• Respect each other.

Don’t worry!

I hope that my words will be helpful to you. I know that being international student is not easy, and it can be nerve-racking as you adapt to a new environment. Try not to worry about your new challenge; you will have a wonderful time in York. Everyone is friendly and helpful, so don’t be shy to ask your questions. I hope you enjoy being a student at York, especially during Freshers’ week!

Why not read more student blogs about accommodation?