Surprising discoveries I made in halls of residence

Living in halls of residence.

Studying abroad isn’t just about what you learn in the classroom.

There’s also plenty to learn outside of class, particularly when it comes to living independently for the first time.

For International Foundation student Nour, he had never lived alone, let alone on the other side of the world!

He shares what he’s learned from his seven months living in halls of residence…

I learned how to organise myself on a daily basis

Before I lived by myself in halls, I was probably one of the messy people you see on the internet, that you definitely don’t want to live with!

Then I realised that this is not going to be an easy year for me if I didn’t organise my room and myself.

I sat down and told myself that I will be cleaning my room every Sunday and I will be doing my laundry every Saturday. Surprisingly this came out good!

Now my room is going to be always tidy and clean for me to relax, and also it helped me concentrate more on my studies.

I learned how to use the washing machine and the dryer

To be honest, I never knew that washing machines existed until I noticed that my clothes weren’t going to clean themselves!

With the advice of my friends and flatmates I was able to wash my clothes easily.

Trust me, it is easier than expected, and now I am the one who helps new-comers with their laundry.

I learned how to live with students from around the world

When I was introduced to my room, the flat was empty and I was all alone, but a week later the freshers joined in.

Two of my flatmates are first year medicine students from Britain and the third flatmate, a fellow international student from Iran, came a bit later.

I introduced myself to them and we sat in the kitchen and talked to each other a lot.

Although we’re from different places we have become close friends, going for a swim together, and having what we call “family dinner”.

We all agreed on certain things like splitting the fridge into two for each person to use, and always keeping the kitchen clean along with the dishes.

I am really happy to be living my flatmates.

Living side by side with your best friends

I learned that living very close to your best friend is something that will stop you from feeling home sick.

Luckily for me my best friends live in the halls of residence with me.

I meet with my best friends all the time. We hang out in each other’s rooms, study together, have fun in the common room, or finish up homework and reports.

In halls, you can meet up with any of your friends in less than 5 minutes.

We bet you can’t wait to meet your new flatmates now!

Why not take up our quick tips for personalising your room, or plan some day trips from London to entertain your future friends?

Want to study medicine? Check out these courses: International Foundation in Pharmacy, Health and Life Sciences at INTO University of East Anglia or International Foundation in Biomedicine, Biology and Pharmacy at INTO Newcastle University. 

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Or to speak to someone about your study abroad options visit the INTO website.