May 29, 2014, by International students

The best things about being an international student in Britain

Over 9,000 EU and international students study at The University of Nottingham’s UK campus. We asked a group of them, what’s the best thing about being an international student in Britain? From accents and biscuits to castles and the ‘exciting weather’, read on for 15 of the best responses:

1. “I never felt more free and independent than when I left my home country all on my own and since I have been in the UK I have met so many interesting people from all around the world.” Jelena

2. “I am treated the same as students from the UK. No exceptions.” Kwasi

3. “Meeting so many different people from different cultures/countries. By being an international student you have a much greater chance of meeting other international students.” Ingrid

Being an international student is a great way to meet people from countries all around the world

4. “English people are so polite! I love that so much about England, I think it is something about which we can all learn. I also think that English people take very good care of their heritage sites, gardens and everything in general and that they are always looking on ways to improve what they do.” Andrea

5. “The exciting British weather that always changes – one day it can be sunny, and the next second it becomes gloomy! You learn how to prepare for uncertainties in the future!” Amy

Exciting weather

6. “Variety, in so many aspects: opportunities, food, people etc. There’s so much here!” Farhan

7. “Getting more involved into British culture and great chances of future development.” Naichen

8. “Having four seasons means being able to see things for the first time in four different ways.” Jonathan

Having fun in the snow

9. “Improving my English language skills and definitely studying with great professors. Also, the support this university gives is beyond awesome!” Noreen

10. “Everyone is welcoming to international students.” Nuria

11. “Everything is new! Coming from a completely different country (Mexico), being in the UK is like discovering a whole new world. From food to weather to amazing castles, the UK really has surpassed my wildest dreams. I love it!” Paulina

Nottingham Castle

12. “Being able to make friends with interesting British people with all different accents!” Jenny

13. “I’d say UK has provided international students like me plenty of opportunities and support, be it volunteering for something, student welfare, or even as small as public transportation to go around places! Everything is well organised and easy, which helped a lot with our independent living abroad!” Sui Lun

Chocolate Hobnobs – perfect with a cup of English tea

14. “Discovering another culture (I had to catch up with so many references like McFly, Busted, beans on toasts, Hobnobs; those are things that you don’t learn when you learn English!), improving your English of course (you think you speak good English? Come and talk to some 18-year-old students and we’ll see! My flatmates had to repeat everything twice the first few weeks), but also discovering another way of teaching. Here, I feel that since students are paying more for their studies, they are paying attention to them.” Margaux

15. “There are frequent comments made about the similarities between American and British cultures. These elements may be true, but it’s the differences that I love and it’s in that space where I live my life in the UK. In general, it’s a wonderful experience to be a foreign person outside of my own cultural experiences and expectations and to look with new eyes on my country and on the world itself. It may be cliché to say so, but I find that I prefer to have the worldview that no one country can fully claim me as its own, but rather I am ‘patriotic for humanity’ and a citizen of the world.” Erin

Why not tell us what you love about studying in Britain by posting a comment below, or on our Facebook page?

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