Having a positive attitude is important - you know it's not going to be the same as at home; but you know that it's going to be better in a short time. - Lupita
Moving to a new country to study is a significant and exciting life change. You probably already know what you are expecting and hoping for, but you may also have some questions and uncertainty. Advice from friends who have already experienced living and studying abroad can help you settle down to your new life in the UK.
In these activities you will listen to some international students already living in the UK, give advice and share what they think you need to know in order to settle down to study. You will also find out about an exciting competition open to international students living and studying in the UK.
Listening to advice from other students
It is always useful to listen to advice from people who have already done what you are planning to do. In this activity you are going to listen to four international students offering you some advice based on their own experiences of living and studying in the UK.
Instruction
Watch the video extract and look at these five summaries of the students' advice and comments. Move each one next to the image of the student who says it. When you have finished, read the feedback to check your answers.
To watch the video, click the play button once. You can move between parts of the video by dragging the slider left or right.
Choose a summary of some advice given by one of the speakers and click on it with your mouse. You can then move the item by dragging it to the correct place. If you change your mind, you can still move the item to another place.
There is a transcript for you to look at if you need help: Video transcript (pdf, 75 kb).
Here are the answers to the listening activity:
Student 1: It's important to make an effort, join activities, and speak with people. You should get involved and not be shy. Student 2: You'll discover more about yourself from the great experience of being in a new country. Student 3: It may not be easy and you might not always find what you expect, but you'll grow a lot from the experience. You'll need to be able to handle the challenge. Student 4: Passing entry tests and getting a good exam result don't mean that the language will be easy for you, especially the written work on your course. Prepare yourself in advance by reading in your subject area and practise writing. And be open to making new friends.
The advice that these four international students offer suggests that there can be cultural and linguistic challenges for students coming to the UK to study but they also emphasise the 'amazing' experience of living and studying in a different country and how much personal growth you can expect from that.
In the next activity you can find out about the amazing experiences of other international students who studied in the UK and a competition that you could enter (and maybe even win) to make your stay in the UK even more memorable.
Watch the video extract again with the transcript below if you need to check your understanding. The parts of the transcript containing the answers to the listening task are highlighted.
The Shine! competition
In this activity you are going to find out about an exciting competition open to all international students studying in the UK.
Instruction
Open the web page below and search for the answers to these questions. Make notes in the textbox and then check the feedback.
1. What is the Shine! competition and who runs it each year?
2. What do students need to do to enter the competition?
3.Watch the 'Shine 2009 winners' video'. How many cities in the UK were mentioned?
4. Read about the 2009 Shine! competition. Who was the winner and where were they from?
Here are the answers to the activity questions:
1. Shine! is a competition to celebrate the contributions of international students to life in the UK. It is run each year by the British Council.
2. International students need to write a letter about their time in the UK describing how they have been challenged and excited during their stay in the UK.
3. Three UK cities were mentioned: London, Edinburgh and Leeds - but Manchester also appeared (on the football stadium and the go-karting track). You can also check this list of regional finalists for other possibly familiar place names in the UK: Shine! 2009 regional finalists.
4. In 2009, Matthew Morton, an international student from the USA, won the competition.
Does this inspire you to enter the competition next year? More information is available under 'How to enter' on the Shine! web page.
Would you like to review the main points?
Studying in the UK will be a very exciting time for you, but there may also be challenges that you didn't expect. It's important to prepare yourself beforehand and make the most of the time while you are in the UK. If your time in the UK turns out to be one of the most exciting times of your life, why not enter the Shine! competition? Winning the Shine! competition could make it even better!
If you would like to know more about the British Council, go to the web link: The British Council
Listening to advice from other students
once. You can move between parts of the video by dragging the slider left or right.
The Shine! competition
