Life as an international student

Halls Committee member, Shruti Narayanan talks to us below on life as an international student, working for Halls Life and finding her way in a new country. 

Landing the job and my first experiences

I remember looking into many of UAL’s social media pages (The now UAL_Halls Life being one of them) while keenly awaiting my acceptance e-mail. When I saw the role of marketing lead on ArtsTemps I simply knew I had to shoot my shot. In some manner of manifestation, I landed a job with Halls Life and saying I was excited would be an understatement. I am your typical Monica Geller - a hyper-organised girly pop who loves to host people and plan parties so needless to say, It was a perfect fit. I was also an ambivert so meeting new people was stepping out of my comfort zone so I was a bit nervous going in. 

I flew in a week before kick-started my training and met an amazing group of creatives. It felt so easy to talk to them and we had a lot of fun throughout the week. It was very clear that all of us were overjoyed to make new friends and create fun experiences. Imagine this: you're not just a resident, you're an ambassador, a party planner, and a city explorer extraordinaire, all rolled into one. Over the past 5 months, we’ve met multiple students in the process and it’s been a blast. 

Making London feel a lot like home

As an international student myself, I know the challenges of settling into a new city. But being a Halls Life committee member has made London feel less like a foreign land and more like home. It was also important to me to have this job not just to meet new friends but to also gain the financial independence to explore the city my way. 

What we love doing 

With our team at Stratford One, we hosted many fun events, my personal favourites were Crochet afternoons, Puppy therapy and the Harry Potter Studios trip. But it's not just about the events (although let's be honest, those are pretty epic). Being a Halls Life rep is about connecting with people from all corners of the globe. 

The best thing about my time at Halls Life are the people. We're like a big, crazy family, always there to support each other. Whether it's helping me navigate the London Underground or celebrating cultural festivals together, there's always someone to share a laugh (or a homesick moment) with. 

Uni and the balance

As an MA student, the workload can be quite a lot and in my time first unit while working with Halls Life I was able to put together a magazine on colourism called NOT Fair. When it comes to the Uni and Halls Life balance, we have immense support both from our larger team and our in-house team at Stratford One. All of us being Uni students we understood the pressures of deadlines and the strenuous days we would have. So we ensured we scheduled work on days we didn’t have Uni and if that wasn’t possible we always covered for each other. 

P.S. If you have any questions about Halls Life or being an international student in London, hit me up! I'm always happy to help a fellow explorer out.

Shruti Narayanan

Want to share your story? Get in touch: 

E: hallslife@arts.ac.uk

T: +44 (0)20 4586 3219

Instagram: UAL_HallsLife