Why Bangor?
I went to a college fair with my mom in 2016 and I only looked at international schools, preferably something in the south of England. Towards the end of the night, we saw Bangor as our last stop of the fair and talked to a girl who was from Arlington, Texas and she told us about how she did a year abroad at Bangor and transferred to Bangor as soon as she could. When I was deciding on universities to apply to and attend, I applied on a whim and got accepted. Something about the university drew me in and the more I investigated it, the more I fell in love. It was completely opposite of what I had in mind for University, but it was a great decision and had everything I could want after moving from the states.
The International Ambassador Scheme
From what I’ve seen of the Ambassador Scheme and my own interaction with it, it really makes international students feel like they have a place and a home at Bangor. Besides all the work they do to help students with visa and immigration issues, they helped the most with making me feel like I wasn’t in this alone. I always feel like I have someone I can contact or get help from, and those same people made me feel accepted after such a large change in my life.
The most difficult thing about being an International Student?
The hardest part for me was when I first moved here. I didn’t know anyone, and the culture shock was crazy intense. My saving grace was that I wasn’t alone in these feelings and got to interact with other international students and find something we could both commiserate in. Other than that, mostly legal and medical stuff like house lettings, where to go to register with a GP or just get medical advice in general.
The Course
My favourite thing about my course is knowing all my teachers. The English department isn’t huge to begin with and then the literature department is even smaller. I really like being able to know professors and have them know me. It also makes writing essays so much easier as you can got to them about anything you’re worried about, and they know how to help you.
The Lecturers
The school is pretty good in my opinion, we’ve got a bit of competition within ourselves about which course is best but it’s always in good fun and isn’t too serious. I think that’s a great thing about the school as well is that it’s really relaxed.
Clubs and Societies
I’m here and there in a few, it’s been a bit more difficult this year with the current Covid situation, but I plan to have more involvement with them next year. The ones I’m more of an active participant in are Pole Fitness, the Art Society, and Dance. I want to get more involved in surf, swimming, and the weightlifting clubs soon, maybe not all at once, though. I love nights out with different clubs. I somehow made friends in a bunch of different sports teams, so I’ve experienced a lot of different nights out because of that. It’s always fun.
The best thing about Bangor
My favourite thing, besides the train station being so close by, is probably how easy it is to find something to do. We have so many outdoor activities right at our fingertips from beaches to mountains. Not to mention all the history of Bangor and the surrounding cities. There’s always something for someone and if you can’t find what you like, the train station can take you wherever you want to go, for the most part. Probably going to miss having everything so close by and being familiar with the city when I leave. The beach and walking areas, those are my favourite parts probably.
Support from the University
So helpful actually! When I arrived here, I received support for my disabilities and it’s very tailored to me. What I said about how caring the professors has never been truer, especially when it comes to them helping me understand what I might be having problems with, and they are willing to explain it to me in the way I understand it.
Advice for new International students
It’s okay to try things you wouldn’t normally try! If no one here knows you, what’s stopping you from just doing a little bit of everything until you find something you love. The right people will find you along the way.
The Future
I plan to finish my degree then go into a Master’s degree in Library Sciences, preferably in the south. After that, I want to work in either a Hospital library or a University library.
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