Besides learning about the city and country, I also think it’s important to learn about the university that I will be in. Being heavily involved in supporting students in postsecondary education, both as a student and as a professional, I am interested in learning about what the University of Glasgow has to offer to students, and specifically international and exchange students.
I was able to use resources from my PLN as well as my discussions with past students who had gone to the University of Glasgow on exchange to learn more about the institution and what student life is like there. Below is what I was able to find so far (will add more as I continue the search):
Gorgeous, isn’t it?
Support Services
- Many departments and offices that offer specific student support services (many similar ones to U of T)
- E.g. Advisors of Studies, writing centres and workshops, IT services for things like emails and computers, Career Services for volunteer and job opportunities
- The Student Services Enquiry Team is the first stop to go find the appropriate support services and make appointments
International Student Support
- There is a yearly publication of the International Student Handbook (2014-2015 is expected to be released in May 2014)
- There are international student advisers who, by appointment, assist on non-academic and welfare matters
- There are international student orientation programs organized in September and January for new international students
- They set up a Welcome Program which includes services like airport pick-up (September arrivals only)
- They’ve put together a pre-departure checklist to help international students prepare for their travel and arrival to the UK
Student Life Support
- There are on-campus accommodation for postgraduate students
- Eating on campus — information on places to eat on campus, nutritional information on what they serve, and they also have a Twitter account (@Glasgowunifood)
- The Glasgow University Student Representative Council (GUSRC) is the student-led organization representing the students of U of Glasgow — they offer a variety of services and opportunities to support students (e.g. secondhand bookshop, printing/photocopying services, professional advisers, etc.)
- GUSRC provides minibuses service go from halls to campus for students to use in the mornings and evenings
Campus life
- There are two student unions on campus: Glasgow University Union (GUU) and Queen Margaret Union — will need to do some more research about both
- Sports and Recreation — I would need membership to access gym facilities (included if living in residence)
- The International Society of Glasgow University (iSOC) is a campus group for international and exchange students — they organize various events like weekly pub nights for international students to meet each other, and they organize weekend trips all over Scotland and England
- There are over 100 clubs and societies on campus (will need more time to look through all these!)
Other neat things
- U of Glasgow is currently running a Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey for students to share their thoughts on their programs — it’s nice to see them doing assessment on the student learning experience
- The Language Centre offers early evening foreign language classes for students who want to learn a foreign language in a small and friendly classroom setting
- TEDx University of Glasgow happened on March 15 and the topic was on connectivity:
Thoughts or Questions? 