Welcoming new international students to Brighton with a traditional British tea party

New international students joining us in January were ‘cordially invited’ to a quintessentially British tea party.

New incoming exchange students, semester abroad students and postgraduate students in the School of Business and Law and the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering were invited to enjoy the British tradition of tea and cake. A fitting welcome to the UK!

The event was a chance for new students to connect with each other, as well as talk to staff from the International Office, the International Student Advice team, and academic colleagues from their school.

For many students it was their first experience of trying some of the nation’s favourite sweet treats. There was a vast selection of cakes and biscuits, as well as some interesting facts about them so students could learn more about our British food culture.

Many of the students were interested by the flavours of a classic British treat, the jaffa cake. 

A map to plot their home countries and a human bingo card sparked conversations and encouraged new students to chat to each other.

Rachael Carden, Associate Dean for Education and Student Experience in the School of Business and Law, welcomed new students to Brighton and encouraged them to reach out to members of staff if they need support.

What our new students say

Study abroad student Jahla, from the US, said: “I’ve always wanted to study abroad…somewhere different from where I was from (Ohio). Seeing the city had so much to do and felt smaller than London, I knew I wouldn’t feel like an outsider.”

Another study abroad student Skylar, also from the US, talked about how she’s planning to cope with homesickness and being away from her family while she’s in the UK: “I want to acknowledge that I do miss my friends and family back home and to feel my feelings, to miss my family and work through it instead of telling myself otherwise.

“I will get to see them again and we are able to keep ourselves occupied with exploring, getting stuck into the full study abroad experience.”

Welcome to all of our new students who joined us in January, we hope you have the best time here at Brighton!