{"id":25761,"date":"2026-09-26T11:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T05:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/?p=25761"},"modified":"2026-09-22T18:21:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T12:51:47","slug":"my-first-month-in-guildford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/global-ambassadors\/my-first-month-in-guildford\/","title":{"rendered":"My First Month at the University of Surrey: What Student Life in Guildford Is Really Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"

To be honest, I spent my first night at Bankside Student Living<\/strong><\/a> wondering what to do next while sitting in my new studio. After months of planning, stressing about my visa, packing and unpacking, and the longest flight ever, I found myself exactly where I wanted to be. But in that moment, I wasn\u2019t excited. Reality felt overwhelming. This was my first real experience of student life in Guildford, and it was different from everything I had imagined before arriving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Me<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I am a Marketing student at the University of Surrey<\/strong><\/a> and currently in my second year. I am from overseas and did a lot of research before coming to the UK, particularly regarding accommodation close to my university. Eventually, I found this studio via University Living<\/strong><\/a>, booked my spot early, and got on the plane with my exact accommodation details in hand. This was one of the best decisions that I made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, University of Surrey student life began with finding a comfortable place where I could settle into without worrying about where I would live after arriving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Week <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first week of university life is often portrayed in movies: making new friends, following all the fascinating lectures, and finding your place in an unfamiliar city. However, in reality, all there is to do is documentation. In my first days in Guildford, I had to complete the university registration process, collect my Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card, open a bank account, register with GP services, and apply for a council tax exemption as an international student. None of these requests could be satisfied without knowing my UK address. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students who couldn\u2019t organize accommodation in Guildford couldn\u2019t process the documentation. I had my address registered before arriving in the UK, so I could complete all the procedures without a hassle. However, I witnessed many students being stuck because of this issue for quite a while. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This practical side of student life in Guildford is something that many students may not think about before arriving. In just a matter of a week of staying in Guildford, becoming familiar with the place was quite easy. Walking around during that first week helped me become more confident in my new surroundings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Studying at the University of Surrey<\/strong> was quite different from what I envisaged. One notable plus point of the campus is its compactness and greenery, and it is easy to navigate and get from one lecture to another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to university life, though, I struggled to adjust. This was because I was inexperienced with living an independent life, which characterizes the life of students studying here. Lectures provide a basis for further learning, all the rest, such as reading, thinking, and argument building has to be done by students themselves. Having become a Marketing student, this modus operandi was rather strange for me during the very first weeks of studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anyone studying at University of Surrey, becoming comfortable with independent learning is an important part of student life in Guildford. By the end of the first month of my studies, I had understood what was expected from me in terms of studying and that step changed everything in my approach to learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making Friends<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I did not anticipate that this would turn out to be such a lengthy process. I\u2019m sure the majority of the international students studying at the University of Surrey feel that way, even though they don\u2019t say it out loud; everybody seems to be more settled than they really are. Everyone is waiting for someone else to be the one to take action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a common experience for international students, and making friends slowly became an important part of my student life in Guildford. I suppose one of the things that helped me was Bankside, the presence of other students around me; many of them being international like me and going through adjustments of their own. This meant that even in tough weeks, I did not have to feel completely lonely. We would meet in common areas and have things in common that brought us together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other thing I did was join one of the societies and decided to go there every week no matter how I feel on the day. That is how friendships are born. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student Life in Guildford<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not as noisy as I thought it would be. Easier to live in than I was afraid of it being. Supposedly even better than I imagined it to be during those early days of staying there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, student life in Guildford became easier once I had a regular routine, familiar surroundings and people I could talk to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When searching for accommodation in the UK, people often ignore the importance of finding the right place at the right time. This is not simply about a roof over your head. This is about the feeling of belonging that you get when you may not really know what\u2019s going on around you. My apartment at Bankside allowed me to have that feeling. I had my own kitchen and the comfort of my own home away from home where I could prepare my meals and listen to music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding the right place University of Surrey can make the first few weeks much easier. People comparing student accommodation in Guildford<\/strong><\/a> should think about comfort, location and the support available nearby. These points are also important when searching for student accommodation in UK<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guildford is not London and does not pretend to be. Only after I stopped measuring it according to the standards of other places did I realize what it actually is: a really good place for students. It is very easy to live in Guildford; the town is a fine walking distance from London and can be easily reached from the rest of the UK. That balance between a peaceful town and convenient connections is one of my favourite parts of student life in Guildford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things to Note Before Arriving<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Your accommodation address will provide you with access to everything during your first week, make sure you have it sorted before arrival. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Your first semester at the University of Surrey requires adjustment; you might wish to take the entire semester to settle in instead of just a few weeks. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • You might be surprised by just how quickly you get used to Guildford, walk around and explore the town as quickly as you can. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Get involved in something during your first semester and make it a point to show up regularly. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • As an international student, you will be pleased to discover that the international community is larger and friendlier than it might seem. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Following these points can make student life in Guildford feel less overwhelming during your first few weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            The first month was surprisingly different from what I had expected. Some aspects were more demanding than I had thought but some things were easier than expected. However, ordinary was just what I needed as everything else was new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A studio that was mine, a small city that I could learn about quickly and a university that I began to recognise were the three factors which helped me establish a point of reference. All else followed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Looking back, student life in Guildford taught me how important it is to have a stable place, a manageable routine and enough time to adjust. If you are about to start this journey, sort out all the practical issues before you start practicing. Preparing early will give you more time to enjoy student life in Guildford once you arrive. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            To be honest, I spent my first night at Bankside Student Living wondering what to do next while sitting in my new studio. After months of planning, stressing about my visa, packing and unpacking, and the longest flight ever, I found myself exactly where I wanted to be. But in that moment, I wasn\u2019t excited. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25762,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1106],"tags":[1114,229],"class_list":["post-25761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-global-ambassadors","tag-guildford","tag-united-kingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25761"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25765,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25761\/revisions\/25765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}