{"id":74,"date":"2023-09-07T15:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T14:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/?p=74"},"modified":"2024-09-10T13:38:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T12:38:17","slug":"welcome-to-belfast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/2023\/09\/07\/welcome-to-belfast\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to Belfast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As we inch further into September and semester start, Belfast is welcoming thousands of new students from across the region and the globe.&nbsp; It can be a daunting time, starting a new venture in a new city, especially if doing it alone.&nbsp; The Accessible Learning and Wellbeing Drop-in have put together a few ways to avoid teething problems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Manage your expectations- expect nerves!&nbsp; This is normal.&nbsp; As well as that, expect stress!&nbsp; University is meant to challenge you.&nbsp; There will be an element of feeling under pressure.&nbsp; How you handle this is what counts.&nbsp; Similarly, expect to have differences of opinion with your new housemates.&nbsp; Learning to accommodate each other will involve give and take.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Register with a GP.&nbsp; You never know when you may need healthcare.&nbsp; This should be with your closest practice.&nbsp; The Student Information Point in One Elmwood has registration forms for the University Health Centre.&nbsp; It is important to understand that it may take time to get a GP appointment and practices have rules about when to call for these-often before 10.30am.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take a look at the Conduct Regulations.&nbsp; When excited about freedom and exploring, this may be the last thing you want to do.&nbsp; However, many students have faced Conduct Investigations because they didn\u2019t realise that how they behave off campus is covered in the Conduct Regs.&nbsp; For example, did you know that if you live in private rented accommodation, the Belfast City Council notify the University if they receive a noise complaint involving a student?&nbsp; This could lead to fines and warnings on your record.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find out about and make use of the facilities!&nbsp; If you live in Elms, there are shared social spaces, daily activities, etc.&nbsp; Check out the PEC, all that is on offer in the McClay Library, your School facilities and the new One Elmwood building.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch out for scams.&nbsp; Many students have fallen victim to increasingly sophisticated ploys.&nbsp; International students have been particularly targeted, transferring money in the belief they are paying for accommodation, pre-employment checks or government fees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Although you may be moving by yourself, you are not, in fact alone.&nbsp; Many others are experiencing similar situations and feelings.&nbsp; As well as this, there are so many ways you can meet like-minded people.&nbsp; The pre-semester events and inductions will give you a good idea about clubs and societies, wellbeing events and school events.&nbsp; Most schools operate a Peer Mentoring Scheme so make make the most of the experience of those who were in your shoes last year.&nbsp; SU Volunteers and the International Student Guides run events all through the year to make it easier to meet people in a safe space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do need help, please don\u2019t wait until the situation worsens.&nbsp; You can call into the Drop-in to see us, look up information on our website or utilise Advice SU for specific issues.&nbsp; You can talk to your Personal Tutor or Advisor of Studies about academic worries.&nbsp; If you have a long-term health condition, Accessible Learning Support (formerly Disability Services) can help with in-course supports.&nbsp; We have included some of the links at the end of this blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Accessible Learning and Wellbeing Team welcomes you to Queen\u2019s University.&nbsp; We hope you enjoy your stay!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/09\/DJI_0073-HDR.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/09\/DJI_0073-HDR.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/09\/DJI_0073-HDR-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/09\/DJI_0073-HDR-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qub.ac.uk\/directorates\/sgc\/disability\/studentinformation\/\">Student Information | Student Centre | Queen&#8217;s University Belfast (qub.ac.uk)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qub.ac.uk\/directorates\/sgc\/wellbeing\/InformationforStudents\/Resources\/SelfHelpSupportHub\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Self Help: Support Hub | Student Centre | Queen&#8217;s University Belfast (qub.ac.uk)<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/q-su.org\/AdviceSU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SU Advice | QSU (q-su.org)<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/q-su.org\/VolunteerSU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SU Volunteer | QSU (q-su.org)<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qub.ac.uk\/sites\/iss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Immigration Support Service | QUB International Student Support<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nidirect.gov.uk\/services\/gp-practices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.nidirect.gov.uk\/services\/gp-practices<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qub.ac.uk\/sites\/my-queens\/cost-of-living\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cost of Living | My Queen&#8217;s | Queen&#8217;s University Belfast (qub.ac.uk)<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/qubsu.org\/AdviceSU\/Scams\/\">Scams | QSU (qubsu.org)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qub.ac.uk\/sites\/my-queens\/\">My Queen&#8217;s | Queen&#8217;s University Belfast (qub.ac.uk)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qub.ac.uk\/public-engagement\/In-the-community\/Students-in-the-community\/\">Information for Students | Public engagement | Queen&#8217;s University Belfast (qub.ac.uk)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/qubsu.org\/AdviceSU\/HealthWellbeing\/InternationalStudentsFindingyourfeet\/\">International Students: Finding your feet | QSU (qubsu.org)<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As we inch further into September and semester start, Belfast is welcoming thousands of new students from across the region and the globe.&nbsp; It can be a daunting time, starting a new venture in a new city, especially if doing it alone.&nbsp; The Accessible Learning and Wellbeing Drop-in have put together a few ways to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1328,"featured_media":29,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/07\/QUB_150621-46.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1328"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions\/189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/thedropindialogues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}