Tuesday 29-08-2023 - 16:58

Hi, I’m your International Students Officer, Bakhtawar. Moving to a new country can be daunting, and I want to help you settle into your new life here in Bristol!

From sorting out new admin to making friends – I hope this guide helps you adjust to student life in the UK so you can have the best experience living abroad.

My role as your International Students’ Officer means that I work full time at the SU to make sure that all interests of international students are represented by the University of Bristol – to improve your experience here! There are six other Full-Time Officers. Read more about my plans for this year, and theirs, here.

Important Admin Tasks

So that you can have a smooth transition to life in the UK, you will need to complete some important admin tasks. To make this a bit easier for you, I’ve narrowed down the key tasks to complete – and where to complete them.

Registering for university, and getting your Ucard 💳

Completing your registration is vital! You need to do this before you can get a ‘proof of registration letter’ which confirms you are a student at the University of Bristol (called a ‘bank letter’), as well as getting your Ucard – which gets you into all the buildings you need, and using most university systems. Pretty important stuff!

How do you complete your university registration?

To complete your registration, you’ll need to:

1. Confirm your registration details
2. Upload a photo of yourself for your Ucard (also known as University ID)
3. Set up multi-factor authentication
4. Collect your UCard (you will receive an email in mid-September with information on how and where to collect this).
5. If you're subject to immigration control, you must also attend an appointment to complete a student document check (also known as 'right to study'). Don’t forget to bring along the documents needed for the Right to Study Check found in the previous link.

Biometric Residents Permit 🪪

A Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) is a residence permit that holds your biographic details (name, date and place of birth) and biometric information (facial image and fingerprints) and shows your immigration status and entitlements while you’re in the UK. When you apply for a visa you will receive a BRP application form, which you’ll need to check to see where the physical permit will be delivered.

If you used the ACL code (2HE397) in your visa application, your BRP will arrive at the University and can be collected at your student document check.

Banking 💷

It can take a few weeks to open a bank account, but you’ll need one while you’re in the UK so make sure to start the process as soon as possible.

You can find out what documents you need to open a bank account on the University website. There are loads of banks in the UK, and can be hard to know where to start. Money Saving Expert is a really helpful website for finding out about different bank accounts (and finances in the UK).

Register with a doctor 🩺

In the UK, everybody registers with a General Practitioner (GP) to get health care. At your GP, you can speak with a doctor who can treat your condition, order medical tests, and decide whether a specialist doctor is needed. Your GP can also help you with your mental health.

We have the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, which means everyone can access healthcare based on their needs and not based on what they can pay.

To make things easier, the university offers a full NHS GP doctor service for all Bristol University students and their families. You can register for a GP through the university here.

Watch this video to find out more about how the health system works as a Bristol University student, and make sure to read this Healthcare Check List before you arrive.

Getting around Bristol with Busses

One of the best ways to travel around Bristol is by bus! But there are loads of buses, so I’ve narrowed down some of the ones you’ll need most:

U1 Bus 🚐

The University of Bristol has a dedicated Uni Bus called the U1. This service links the University of Bristol Stoke Bishop Campus, the University of Bristol Clifton Campus and the City Centre. Please be aware that bus prices may have changed.

• You can see the timetable here. They run up to every 6 minutes from Monday to Friday daytime and up to every 20 minutes on Saturday and Sunday.
•  Pay by contactless on this bus for £1.70 per single ticket. Or, buy a year pass from £199.
• Read frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the U1 Bus here.

Bristol City Buses

It's easy to get around the whole city by bus, with plenty of convenient services available from loads of different locations.

• An easy way of figuring out where you can get a bus from and to in Bristol is with First Bus. Online, or via their app, you can plan your journey and it will tell you what busses you need and where you can catch them from.
• See the Bristol bus routes and timetables here. 
• Loads of ticket options are available for you but most commonly a student single ticket is £1.70 or two student trips are £3.20.

The Coombe Dingle Shuttle Bus ⚽

We offer a free shuttle bus from Tyndall Avenue to Coombe Dingle Sports Complex every Wednesday, throughout the day, for all students and staff of the University of Bristol. This is to make sure watching and attending sports is accessible for everyone!

There is also a stop at Clifton Downs, Parry's Lane Bus Parking, so that you can watch an Intramural Game on a Wednesday.

• You can find the full timetable, running dates and further information on the University of Bristol Sports App and the @bristolunisport Instagram.

Shops

Although different countries may have similar essential shops, like food shops and pharmacies – they all have different names, and it can be a lot to get your head around! So, I thought I’d give a quick summary of the shop names you should know about in Bristol.

You can also read the university’s guide for international students to find restaurants, shops, hair & beauty salons and more across the city.

Grocery and food shops 🍇

Supermarkets (or food shops) in the UK offer a wide range of foods, often with international sections within them. Supermarkets even have clothing, stationary, and sometimes kitchenware on sale!

Some popular shops in Bristol are:

• Sainsbury's
• Lidl
• Aldi
• Tesco
• The Co Op
• Asda

Pharmacies 💊

The most common pharmacies in the UK, which you can find in Bristol, are Boots and Superdrugs. Sometimes your doctor's surgery will be connected to a specific pharmacy to collect prescriptions and they will give you the address for this.

Shopping Centre 🛍️

Cabot's Circus is in the centre of Bristol City and can be a good place to find more popular clothing brands and shops, food, cinemas and much more.

Homeware 🍵

If you need new bedding, kitchenware or home items lots of shops do home delivery or you can visit them in-store. IKEA, Dunelm and Sainsbury's offer a wide range of options to get your new house feeling like home.

Getting Involved with Student Life

Welcome Events 🎪

We've got some fantastic events organised to help you settle into university life, and the city, whilst making friends along the way. Check out our events programme for all students right here, and make sure to come to Welcome Fair on the x September.

Student Groups 💃

A great way to make new friends is to join one of our student groups (a society, sports club or intramural sports’ team). If you’re not sure what to join, we have over 300 student groups on offer for you! So, whether you’re into sports, the arts, food or activism, we’ve got you covered.

Guess what? Our Student Groups were voted in the Top 10 UK Universities for Clubs and Societies 2023 by Student Crow! Use our online group finder to find a group that’s right for you.

Give it a Go! (GIAG) ⚽

Give It A Go! are taster sessions and events that our student groups put on at the start of each term – usually for free. This means that you can try out a student group or society before committing to a membership, even if you’ve never tried it before.

If you would like to give a student group a go, then head here. Our various Give It A Go! Sessions for the first term are now live, and there is so much to get involved in.

Intramural Sport 🏉

Intramural Sport is a fun, social, multi-sport programme for students who just want to turn up and play! Intramural Sport allows you to compete for your university course team, society, halls of residence or just as a group of friends. 'Intramural' means 'inside the university', with league matches taking place every week in Bristol.

From table tennis to football, there are loads of sports on offer, with over 190 teams! You can find out more and join a team here.

International Student Network 🌍

We have students from over 130 countries at the University of Bristol, and we want to make sure that all of your interests are supported and that any problems and concerns you have are heard!

Our International Students Network helps make this happen, whilst supporting the international student community by running events and campaigns. It is free to be a member, so join in and find out more!

Multifaith Chaplaincy 💖

A good way to connect with people in your faith is to get involved with the Multifaith Chaplaincy. Each week during term time, they host a wide range of events and activities, from discussion groups to socials.

You can see more detailed information about the Multifaith Chaplaincy here.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Most people need support with their mental health and wellbeing. Here are just some of the services available to you while you’re studying at the University of Bristol.

Nightline 🌙

Bristol Nightline offers a confidential, impartial and non-advisory listening and information service. They don’t lecture or judge our callers; their job is to listen and help you reach your own conclusions.

Whether you want to talk about something that’s upsetting you or one of your friends or want some information of any kind, Nightline is there to listen. No problem is too big or too small. 

You can call or chat to Nightline via Instant Messenger (IM) here.

• The phone and IM service is available 8 pm to 8 am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
• You can also chat to them from 8 pm through to 12 am every Sunday via IM.

Emergency Services 🚑

If you or someone you are with are in a life-threatening emergency, call 999 immediately or go to your nearest hospital. Further information is available on our emergency help page.

• When you have an urgent healthcare need that isn't a life-threatening situation you should call 111.
• For non-medical emergencies on the university campus, please call University Security Services at 0117 331 1223.

University Wellbeing Services ✍️

If something is worrying you, you can complete the Request Wellbeing Support form to let the University know. They will then connect you to the right support or service.

This may be the Student Wellbeing Service, Residential Life team, Student Counselling Service or Disability Services team, depending on what help you need.

Academic Support

Bristol SU Academic Advice 🧑‍🎓

Our Academic Advice team is here to support your academic interests. Threy offer non-judgemental, free and confidential support to help you through any difficult decisions you make during your time at the University. For example:

• When you want to change course
• When you want to suspend your studies
• When you need support in applying for exceptional circumstances or academic appeals
• When you need help writing complaints.

There's loads of helpful info on our SU pages and you can always get in contact with us.

Study Skills 📝

When it’s time for exams and assessments you might struggle with balancing all the different areas of university life. For that reason, the university have additional support on offer. This includes:

• Study skills services such as peer-assisted study sessions and help from Writing Fellows
• Library services including 'show me how' library orientation sessions
• Disability services and how you can get support

The Centre for Academic Language and Development (CALD)🗣️

The CALD centre has been helping people develop their academic language and literacy skills since 1989! They run courses and programmes for people at all levels and from a wide variety of backgrounds. Whether or not English is their first language, it helps people learn to communicate more effectively, both within and between disciplines.

Their International Foundation Programme and pre-sessional courses offer international students the best possible preparation for a higher level of education, providing a tailored transition to undergraduate or postgraduate study. To enable more people to access a University education, they offer a range of widening participation courses.

Hopefully this gives you a little insight into life at Bristol University, and all the support that is available to you!

Looking forward to seeing you on campus.

Bakhtawar