Leanne Al-Mrayat is an international student who lived in Keynes College accommodation during her undergraduate degree. She tells us about how to tackle the first week of moving in and recalls some of her favourite memories in campus accomodation.
‘I was both nervous and excited about my move to campus accommodation; I was slightly nervous about not knowing my way around campus plus I felt overwhelmed by the whole process of moving. I needn’t have -it was straightforward. After finding my accommodation reception, the staff and students during the welcome week were really supportive in guiding me to my flat building which definitely made the whole process easier.
After settling in my room, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen meeting the rest of my flatmates and getting to know them better. We would have most of our meals together there and finish unpacking the rest of our kitchen stuff together. I actually found the majority of the process enjoyable and over time, some of my flatmates have become really close friends of mine.
Making friends was easier than expected!! I think, especially during the first few weeks, everyone is eager and excited to meet new people and make new friends, so it was just a matter of putting yourself out there to try new experiences and meet new people. I met some of my closest friends during the fair at welcome week, so I definitely would encourage engaging with the events held during the welcome week as they can be a wonderful opportunity to meet new people. It’s also a great bonding experience with your flat or housemates.
One of my favourite memories was when the weather got warmer, my friends and I started to sit outside on the grass and have our breaks between classes. I loved seeing how lively campus became with everyone outside and being able to re-energize with all the greenery and sun. Although we had some goodtimes in the cold weather too! I also loved that the library was open 24/7 because it meant I was able to go and get work done there whenever and for however long without worrying about a closing time. I think a defining part of my university experience has been all the late-night study sessions I spent with my friends trying to be productive in the library.
It is so important to sit and consider all the accommodation choices available at the university and decide what accommodation would work best for you. If also possible, it would be really good to see where exactly on campus would you want to be close to and allocate your accommodation options accordingly. At Kent, there are various accommodation options that cater for everyone and their needs!
“Enjoy the process of moving in and meeting new people
Whilst I appreciate that moving in with new people in a new place is overwhelming and anxiety-inducing, just make sure you take it one step at a time and I promise that everything will fall into place with time.
Don’t feel disheartened if doesnt gel immediately, becoming comfortable with new people is different for everyone and all will be ok eventually. Best of luck to everyone moving into Kent this year and I hope you have a wonderful time there.
Leanne’s 3 items a student should NOT forget when moving in:
Bedding! Make sure to have all your covers for your bed with you so that you can sleep comfortably on your first night. It would be useful to check what your bed size is so that you bring in the correct bedding, this information is available on the accommodation website.
Cleaning products, this is so you could just freshen up your room before unpacking your stuff in there.
Hangers! The closets don’t come with hangers so it would be helpful to have some at hand when you’re unpacking your clothes.
Her other piece of advice is Fill! your!! inventory!! The inventory will ask you to report any damage in your room when moving in within the first few weeks so that the accommodation is aware that this defect or damage was already there before you moved in. This way, they will not charge you extra for it after you move out at the end of the year, this was a lifesaver for me.’
Leanne Al-Mrayat is studying for a BSc (Hons) Psychology.