Documents to download
Once you have received your offer letter from Notre Dame and you have started your visa application, you will need to download, complete and return some forms:
- Accommodation Statement
Download Accommodation Statement - Parental Authorisation Document
Download Parental Authorisation Document
You will also need to download your student handbook and initial timetable:
- International Student Handbook
Introduces international students to studying at Notre Dame
Download International Student Handbook - First Days Timetable
What happens during your first week at college
Download First Days Timetable
Before you travel
You are now at the final stages of your journey but before you say goodbye to family and friends, there are a few important final preparations to bear in mind before you travel:
It’s a good idea to make sure that you travel with the following:
- A valid passport with a valid visa
- Your offer letter from Notre Dame
- Certified copies of your academic qualifications, English proficiency etc
- Telephone numbers of the International Student Team (+44 296 6644) and the emergency mobile (+44 792 927 8382)
- Instructions on how you plan to get from your arrival point in the UK to your accommodation if you are not being collected.
- Your accommodation details, address and telephone number.
- There are plenty of ATM’s available but it is advisable to have some cash in small notes for your arrival. e.g. £5, £10, £20’s. £50 notes are often given out by currency exchange companies but they are not in common use. You do not want to try to buy a £1.20 bottle of water with a £50 note!
Packing: what to bring to the UK
- Clothes
There is no uniform at Notre Dame – students in the UK dress informally for classes. The weather in England can also be somewhat changeable, with a gloomy morning turning into a sunny day with high temperatures, and vice-versa. Temperatures in summer rarely go above 25°C and may go lower than -2°C in winter. You may want to consider a light waterproof coat, and warm indoor clothes (t-shirts, sweatshirts/fleeces clothes that can be layered and are easy to keep clean (dry cleaning can be expensive). - Appliances and electricity
You do not need a laptop for the classroom, there are plenty of computers around college but you may wish to bring a laptop for home use. British voltage is 240 volts and appliances have a three pin plug. You can buy British appliances when you arrive if you prefer – they are quite reasonable (for example hair dryers cost around £10-20). - Mobile Phones
UK SIM cards are cheap and easy to buy and great for use within the UK. However calls to other countries using a local SIM are not! It will be much cheaper to stay in touch with home by using Skype, Viber or Whataapp.
Top tips for travel
- Photograph your passport and visa and email a copy to yourself, that way you will always be able to access a copy from anywhere in the world
- Before you fly, take a photograph of your luggage using your mobile phone. If the airline loses your luggage you can show someone what it looks like. This is especially useful if you are trying to communicate with someone in a language which is not your own!
Checklist before you leave home
The following website has a good checklist:
www.hotcoursesabroad.com/study-in-the-uk/get-ready/international-students-checklist-before-you-leave-home/
Top tips for international students
Culture shock and student life
There is some useful information on ‘culture shock’ here for international students:
www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/culture_shock.php
This website provides an overview of student life in the UK:
www.educationuk.org/UK/Life-in-the-UK
