The University: Great campus, with lots of cafés and places to meet up and a well-stocked library (I only bought one textbook and regretted it later – there was no need for it). The English, Languages and Politics departments are particularly good and students are generally very satisfied with the quality of the teaching. The Student Guild is very, very active, and political, too – student politics and the Guild’s elections are taken quite seriously.

Favourite places: Boston Tea Party, a lovely café great for coffee, cream tea, jacket potatoes and cakes, where you can read, write or just chat with friends for hours on the comfy sofas. Walking to the Quay is very pleasant and relaxing, or you could just get distracted by the vintage shops on the way there. Getting lost around town is great for discovering beautiful hidden places.

Useful local words: Block party, Marks and Sparks, cream tea (for free in some events at freshers week…), “room check”.

What not to pack: Food! Foreign students (mainly southern-European) seem to think British food is an abomination and they won’t find anything decent in any local supermarkets, when they’re actually very well-assorted… Don’t pack books either, you have to take them back home afterwards and they are (very) heavy.

What to pack: Laptop. Umbrella in winter and shades and sunscreen in spring, you will need both. Enough clothes in case the Launderette is being refurbished and you can’t wash clothes for days and days – but not too many, there’s a very well-assorted high street ready to tempt you with new clothes every now and then…

Couldn’t have done without: Railcard, camera. I also quite enjoyed reading the student newspaper as there wasn’t one at my home university.

Word of advice: Explore the surroundings, there’s beautiful countryside and trips to be done, and you’ll regret it if you don’t make the most of it! 

Alicia Rubiales, Film and Media, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona).