Moving into Glasney Student Village as an international student

This article was written by Film BA(Hons) student Alexandro.

This isn’t my first time writing about Glasney Student Village, however it was such a large aspect of the start of my university experience that I feel like there’s always more to write, especially on the international student experience side of things.

If you’re reading this, you are most likely an international student wondering what it's like to live in Glasney Student Village. I’ll start by saying that if you are very worried or stressed about the experience, don’t be! It’s truly not as daunting as it seems and I hope this blog will help in reassuring you.

Firstly, I’ll quickly recap on some of the details of Glasney Student Village, better known as Glasney. It is the accommodation option that is located on Penryn Campus. It offers both single and shared rooms and no matter the room type you will always have an en-suite bathroom. The room will also have all the essentials, such as a bed frame and mattress, a desk, a pinboard, a wardrobe, a safe and more! You’ll then also have a large, shared kitchen with your flat, which is around 6 other rooms. If you want to read more on the specific details of Glasney Student Village, check out the dedicated accommodation page on the Falmouth website or you can read my previous blog post. Going forward, this blog will focus more closely on the experience of being an international student moving into Glasney.

It was a scary experience moving in, not knowing any of my flatmates, being alone and far from home for the first time. However, I was lucky to be surrounded by kind and very welcoming people. Even though I was nervous, I found myself settling in pretty quickly, and with every passing day I became more comfortable with the people around me and the environment I was in. It didn’t take long before I felt like I belonged in my flat.

Naturally, there are many logistical advantages to living in Glasney, starting with it being right next to class if you study on Penryn Campus, as well as it being close to the on-campus shop, canteen, cafes and bar! Grocery stores weren’t too far away either with ASDA being around a 15-minute walk away.

However, what was more important to me, was the community and social aspects of living in Glasney. Not only was I able to quickly make friends with my flatmates, but the number of events going on at the start of the year in Glasney and on campus allowed me to build a community and start to find my feet in my new environment. I was able to meet so many new people, both in and out of my course and began to build strong friendships. Soon enough I managed to fully transition to living in the UK, I was able to feel accepted and no longer like a stranger.