All freshers worry about making friends when they start university, but for international students, breaking into a new social scene is an even bigger challenge. A great starting point in those nerve-racking first weeks are the societies that represent your culture.
Culture and language societies aim to bring together students based on their shared heritage and provide an anchor in a daunting new environment. But they can become insular and make students less inclined to broaden their social circles.
"The Hong Kong society is a double-edged sword," says Chris Lee, society member and law student at Bristol University.
While it acts as a "home away from home", giving younger students the chance to learn from the experience of older compatriots, Lee thinks it can also stop them getting fully involved with British culture – a reason they came in the first place.
"I've paid international student fees hoping to experience a foreign culture, but such experience is merely on a superficial level," says Lee. While he tries to interact with British students, he admits it feels much more natural to converse with fellow Cantonese-speakers.
Cultural societies can even prevent their members' English skills from improving.
"Students in the Hong Kong society are deeply attached to Hong Kong culture. In social situations, most of them wouldn't speak English unless you pointed a gun at their head," Lee says.
But many cultural societies reach out to students outside their own nationality. "My society welcomes all," says Karol Kelner, a student studying business management with marketing, who founded the American society at Brunel University. "I try to work on the basis on which America was founded – of everyone being welcome."
Similarly, the Irish society at the University of Sussex has many non-Irish members. "The English and international students find it a novelty getting to learn about Irish culture," says Cal McLoughlin, the society's president, with many Swedish students unexpectedly turning up at the society's last St Patrick's Day breakfast.
"It adds a new element to friendships because I'm teaching them about my culture and the differences between the cultures," says McLoughlin.
According to Eric Chim, an economics and international relations student and member of the Hong Kong society at Durham University, says his university helps different groups get to know one another.
"The international office and international student committee play a vital part in promoting interaction between cultural societies."
While cultural societies provide a much-needed haven for new students, not everyone feels the need to join one. Audrey Le Bihan, a French student studying medicine at the University of Manchester, hasn't joined the university's French society.
"It is mainly British members trying to develop opportunities to speak French. I didn't feel this could be a potential support or friendship network for myself and therefore focused my attention on societies for medical students."
Tips for international freshers
Whether or not you decide to join a cultural society, international students can follow some basic tips to make friends and integrate themselves into British university life.
• "Arriving early to lectures and starting up conversations with your fellow classmates is a good way to make friends and find common ground," says Kelner.
• Make an effort to speak English in social situations if it's not your first language. "Most UK people won't laugh at your English," says Chim.
• "Learn the norms so you don't offend anyone – for example, say "thank you" to the bus driver, which isn't a common practice in East Asia," he says.
• Most importantly, don't start university with assumptions about British culture or feeling like you automatically won't fit in, advises Lee. "Always leave your door open and give yourself as many options to meet new people as possible."
And don't forget, societies are not just for freshers. For students already at university, freshers' week is a great time to join one – you'll mostly likely have already established your own friendship groups and will have invaluable advice to offer freshers, be it pastoral or academic.
