Student Bloggers
Putting Myself Out There
Date
September 24, 2015
After a few days of getting reacquainted with London and getting to know my program manager for my time here, it was finally time to pack it all up and get settled in Brighton. For those who don’t know, Brighton is a popular city in England that is famously known for its beach, and more importantly its pier. Just outside of the city is the University of Sussex, which I am lucky enough to call home until December. The hard part with starting a new school, however, is making all new friends.
I’m no stranger to doing this because of how often I moved around when I was younger, but the process never gets easier. Luckily the University does what’s called Fresher’s Week, where the student’s union offers different events where you have the opportunity to interact with other classmates. Much like freshman orientation at Arcadia, it’s just an opportunity to try and make friends before classes start.
They offered a range of different events, all of which were incredibly cool. I’d consider myself a pretty introverted person, but fresher’s week made it easy to get out there and meet people. Luckily, there are two other girls studying at Sussex through Arcadia. I’ve become pretty close to one of them, so we were able to go to some of the events together! The coolest event was the pier party they hosted. Brighton Pier is gorgeous (seriously, google it!) and it offers a variety of amusement park rides, arcade games, and great food. The pier party was for Sussex students only, and we were offered discounted rates on pier food and free amusement park rides all night! I went with some other international students who are also from the United States and we all ended up having a really good time, right until the very end when it started pouring down rain (I’m pretty sure my jeans STILL aren’t dry). It’s always difficult to put yourself out there and make new friends, but when you take advantage of the opportunities your university provides, it makes the process a little easier!