Your International Student Advisory Board (ISAB) continue to advocate for international students, enhancing your student experience and ensuring that your voice continues to be heard.
Following a successful recruitment round in November, new and existing members held drop in sessions and attended The Big Fair in January to listen to international students and bring forward any concerns they had. These discussions then informed the priorities our members have chosen to focus on this year.
Here’s a summary of what those priorities are (in no particular order), and an update on actions going on right now:
- Accommodation and Cost of Living – concerns were raised over the transparency of costs with regards to on campus accommodation, and associated cost of living pressures. Board members are planning to discuss this with the Accommodation team to raise issues and help facilitate better understanding of needs and requirements.
- Buddy Schemes – issues around the need for a buddy scheme have been a recurring issue at ISAB, so members are now currently researching existing schemes and surveying students to find out if there is an appetite for such a scheme and will put together a proposal based on your views on what the ideal Buddy Scheme would be. You can have your say by completing this quick survey.
- Healthcare and Nursing Services – understanding how healthcare in the UK works and in particular accessing our services has led to the development of producing an explainer video.
- Pre-arrival / Welcome Support – members continue to help enhance the university’s pre-arrival and welcome information for international students. They have contributed to the development of a new course, Navigating UK Study which new international students can take the week before Welcome Week to help with their transition. Members are now working on the production of a welcome booklet/guide written by students for students, to help with the transition to living in the UK, focusing on an array of practical things that really matter.
- Visas and Immigration – a complex topic, but members are working with Kent Students’ Union to link up more with their Advice Service, exploring what they are able to do, and see where the gaps are in what is being identified as missing. A helpful guide is in draft to help students navigate this complex area.
How can you have your say?
All students are welcome to submit topics to ISAB for discussion, or to raise any concerns about how we can help to improve the student experience for international students. Our next meeting will take place on Thursday 20 March, and if you have any areas of concern, you can email these to DeanGlobalLifelong@kent.ac.uk
We have our survey open for you to have your say about Buddy Schemes here at Kent. It is a topic that often comes up as something that can help to support our new students both before they arrive and when they begin their studies. Is this something you would have liked to have, or did you participate in a Buddy Scheme? If you did, then we would love to hear from you. Complete the Buddy Scheme Survey before the end of March.