Accepted
One thing about studying in London or any other city in the world is that everyone’s experience would differ. I will happily share my experience studying at Loughborough University London in this blog. Like most international students studying abroad, we have dreamt about making friends easily with everyone on our very first day. However, I had trouble mingling with other students during my first few days. Everyone seemed to have established their groups, thus making it difficult for me to connect with them. Initially, I thought it had something to do with them being from the same countries and that I was the only Indonesian. But it turned out that they connected through the university’s orientation day. As someone who skipped orientation, I suggest that newcomers should always attend that day. It is a good way to make friends easier.
Nevertheless, as time passed, I started to make friends by approaching students first and initiating conversations. Of course, it was intimidating, but you must be proactive and not wait until they approach you if you want to have friends in a foreign country.
Aside from making new friends, what stood out to me about Loughborough is that they have interesting classes for my major, such as Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Strategy and other modules. I truly enjoyed studying those modules because I learned about the nature of corporations and how we can be a part of them while making good contributions to society and the environment. I also got the chance to improve my analysing skills by identifying the internal and external layers of certain companies. Not to mention, Loughborough’s library has plenty of excellent books and sources online that allow all students to utilize them for their assignments or exams. The professors were so helpful in giving me great feedback on things I could improve on. So, I suggest never hesitating or being afraid to reach out to your professors because they are there to help you.
Another interesting thing about the university is that they would have career fairs on what we call “Future Space” days, where different companies attend and give us presentations about themselves and some of the ways we can improve our CVs and other prospects. It was helpful because it allowed us students to apply for part-time jobs. In my case, I decided to work in the hospitality sector for Delaware North as a part-time till operator and waitress. If it weren’t for those types of events that the university provided, I would’ve missed the chance to work at famous venues such as the Emirates, Wembley and West Ham stadiums.