Feeling Safe at University

It was quite daunting as an international student to travel halfway across the globe on my own in order to pursue my higher education. I was lucky however, because the University of Liverpool made this process so much easier and wonderful. The university, city and its people were so welcoming and wonderful, that I knew I just had to pursue my Masters here as well. I am happy to report that my two years at the university were the best and the time I cherish the most throughout my higher education life.

The University of Liverpool is a very student-centric university, whereby every safety measure and academic as well as non-academic decision is made with the student’s comfort and safety in mind. As an international student, the University made me feel welcomed and eased some of my travelling anxiety from the time of my acceptance up to the time of arrival on campus. They would constantly send emails with various checklists and updates. They even sent a “welcome kit” to my home address in Malaysia which consisted of pamphlets, a little map of the University and other relevant information.

Since I was travelling alone, I opted for the University shuttle bus, where we could be fetched from Manchester airport and dropped off at our individual accommodations. We were greeted by the current student ambassadors of the University and could quell some of our queries on our ride over to Liverpool. The students were kind and shared some valuable tips on how to save costs. They also provided a beneficial commentary on our way into the city centre, and some direction on how to walk to campus for welcome week. 

Welcome week consisted of a series of events that aims to introduce students to campus life, explore clubs and societies, and most importantly make lots of new friends. My Malaysian class mates and I had so much of fun getting to know everyone and joined both academic and non-academic activities. The extracurricular activities were not only informative and help with boosting one’s resume, but they provided me with an outlet, and a way to meet students with similar interests from other schools as well.

The University of Liverpool’s campus spreads across the city and after a few days of exploring, the short cuts were easy to remember. It was fairly easy to navigate through the city but whenever I lost my way, the people of Liverpool were always willing to help me. The people tend to be very friendly and the city itself is rich in culture with many cites to explore. The University’s lecture halls and seminar rooms were very inviting, and equipped with the best tools to help create a conducive learning environment.

It was also easy to take a break with friends or spend some time catching up on work at the many study areas put all over campus. The university has two libraries, the Henry Cohen library, found in the north side of campus and the Sydney Jones library at the south side. Both libraries are spacious and their cosy study areas were very conducive for those midnight crams.

I felt very safe walking around the city and back home at night, even after late night study sessions because the city of Liverpool is a very safe city. This is because Liverpool is home to three universities, making most occupants within the area, students. It also meant the cost of living at Liverpool was very low, with various student discounts offered at most places and student bus passes. This made travelling, whether by cab, bus or train fairly affordable. In fact, the University of Liverpool is one of the most cost-effective cities in the UK. All the money I saved up was used for mini trips within the UK and to some countries in Europe during semester breaks. But none of the other places come close to how wonderful my second home Liverpool and the University was.