Loughborough is a medium sized campus based university with a student population of 16,000 which includes an international cohort of 4,500.With a history of working to develop an internationalised experience for all our students Loughborough creates an environment where sampling new experiences are encouraged. This was highlighted by Loughborough Students‘ Union being award the Best International Students’ Union by the NUS in 2009.

About Loughborough

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/international/profiles/index.htm

We have a highly developed award winning media centre and do both student TV work and commercial contracts.

An example of our work for the University International office are the student profiles which are currently on their website and have gained great reviews from our students.

From our experiences and discussions with other groups involved with International Students we felt there was a lack of resource for students to see other students talking about their experiences to reduce the level of culture shock on arrival.

This background combined with a strong working relationship with Southampton SU enabled us to apply for funding for creating a new web resource showing new students what to expect from life in the UK

EU/Rest of World DifferencesDifferent areas of the world have different understanding of UK culture and come with different impressions/understanding which were very apparent so does need to be considered in each of the following aspects CultureDaytime hours (as student 9/10 am wake up bed at 3am is common)Food and Eating, Personal Space, Use and meaning of languageRespect of other nationalities and faiths (can be really good or really bad need to be equipped for both), Campus living and City living, Working while studyingClothing, Weather considerations, temperature, rain, wind, TV Licence Road SafetyPavements, Crossing Roads, Cycling safety (inc not cycling on pavements)Driving Licence (international licence only valid for 3 months), InsuranceParking, Road Marking (double yellow double red lines etc)

Focus Group Feedback

AuthoritiesPolice (safety, closing windows locking doors), International registration & Police registration, Local Council – Council Tax exemption, University Security – not actually police but do have a level of authority, NHS/Hospitals Student Support (academic & personal issues)Teaching styles, Course requirements, Coursework formatting, CourseInteraction with academic staff, Language Support, Financial Support Getting InvolvedKey aspect to really enjoy your timeOften they have to make the first step and not to be scared of that Students UnionFew countries have these so is worth explaining what we do and are here for as can be confusing, Explain our independence from the University

Focus Group Feedback

UK Culture Website

UK CultureInternationalised site

The site is still a work in progress and we are continually adding clips and amending content so any feedback would be more than welcome

timbenford@lufbra.net

tsbenford

Tim Benford