With campus reopening and restrictions eased, international students are finally able to experience what university life is like abroad.
After an entire academic year of online classes and restrictions, students have been eager to come back on campus for both classes and activities.
International students, particularly those who arrived last year, are extremely relieved to be able to explore the campus surroundings as well as travel around the country.
Jared, a Mechanical Engineering student from Malaysia, said: ”It is so much easier to engage in class, I can pay much more attention to what the lecturer is talking about; group discussions also become smoother and work can be done faster.”
”Activity wise, I can finally do activities I love such as badminton, and not only that, I have more opportunities to start out new things I’ve been wanting to learn; I can finally try out new things such as tennis, rock climbing and volleyball.
”I get to join in on the fresher’s week and all the activities and sales they have started which I have missed in my first year due to me arriving late to the UK.
”The main struggle I had was staying at home most of the time, it is so much easier to get demotivated and distracted by many things.”
Patrick, a Concept Art student from Indonesia, said: “I feel very happy to come back on campus for class and activities, albeit I was a bit apprehensive at first because I am very cautious about the virus.”
“I have been meeting with friends I have not hung out with physically for a while and I am excited to do so even more.
”It was frustrating being in lockdown because of the stress from the lack of social interaction and from being inside a confined space for a long period of time.”
International students that have just arrived in the UK this semester have been enjoying campus life as well.
Kok Hong, a Physiotherapy student from Singapore, said: “Ever since coming here, my day has always been packed with tons and tons of fun activities and events hosted by the school clubs.”
“I went for the club and society day where I saw clubs that were interesting to me, such as kayaking, rowing and snow sports; they were sports I could never access so easily in Singapore.
“The school has been filling up my entire schedule ever since I landed in Middlesbrough, it was never a bore since coming here and it has been a really engaging and fun month for me.”
“Ever since coming to Middlesbrough, I have been walking a lot, I love taking walks in parks and trekking to spectacular peaks and scenic views; so far I have explored places such as Albert Park, Saltburn and Roseberry Topping.”
Second year Sports Journalism student
Passionate about sports and esports
