Settling in

How to take care of your mental health studying in a cultural environment different to your own

20th Oct 2025

Written by Ozcan Inanli, 2nd year MA Education NTU Student Moving away for the first time can be scary. You might be thinking: “what have I gotten myself into?” “I want to go home”. “I miss home”. This is completely normal. Having studied in four different countries, I fully understand the different challenges of studying … More How to take care of your mental health studying in a cultural environment different to your own

Student Journey: Making Friends at NTU

26th Sep 2024

Written by Ozcan Inanli, MA Education, Year 1 Student NTU has changed my life and to this day, I am forever grateful and appreciative for the strong friendships that I have made. I am going to share you my story hoping that it will put you at ease and know that you are not alone … More Student Journey: Making Friends at NTU

Friendship anxiety: How to deal with feeling like you’ve not made ‘enough’ friends at uni.

28th Sep 2023

By Izzi Meynell, 2nd year Creative Writing NTU Student I was worried that, when I started university, I would have no friends. You hear so many stories about isolation when it comes to living off-campus in your first year, almost as many as you hear about the joys of living on-campus. Obsessively reading threads on … More Friendship anxiety: How to deal with feeling like you’ve not made ‘enough’ friends at uni.

So, you’re new at Trent

25th Sep 2023

By Jamie Smith, a 3rd year, Business Management and Economics This blog will cover my tips and tricks that helped me to survive and thrive settling in at Nottingham Trent University Settling in For some of you, this will be you’re first step into independence away from friends and family back home and its hard, … More So, you’re new at Trent

Starting university alone can be scary

18th Sep 2022

By Sophie Orchard, 2nd year BSc Psychology student NTU student A university lecture hall can be a very scary place to walk into for the first time, especially when you know absolutely no-one that is going to be in the same lecture. I felt so scared to walk into that lecture hall for the first … More Starting university alone can be scary

Coping with homesickness and loneliness as an international student

23rd Sep 2021

Written by Zahra Meslati, NTU Alumni Congratulations! Starting university can be very exacting with with lots of changes and challenges and great experiences to learn. You may feel anxious and stressed which is normal during the first few weeks at the university. Transitions into university can be hard to cope with and some students may … More Coping with homesickness and loneliness as an international student

Looking after yourself while settling into university 

16th Sep 2021

By Rachael Griffiths a current BSc Wildlife Conservation NTU student Hi, everyone! My name is Rachael, and I am an undergraduate studying BSc Wildlife Conservation here at NTU. I am currently preparing to undertake my final year at NTU and finally get back on campus – it feels like forever, right? I am also a new Student Mental … More Looking after yourself while settling into university 

Top tips before you start university

14th Sep 2021

Should I stay or should I go?

7th Sep 2021

By Laura Gilbert a current Psychological Wellbeing and Mental Health NTU Student I started university thinking that it was going to be the best experience I had ever had, which it certainly was in the end. However, my first few months were very different to how I had imagined. When I first arrived at university, … More Should I stay or should I go?

Five ways that helped me to make friends at NTU

24th Aug 2021

By Leanne Haywood a current MSc Psychological Wellbeing and Mental Health NTU student and Student Mental Health Champion Hello everyone, I’m currently studying my masters at NTU and I also completed my undergraduate degree at NTU. I wanted to write this blog to share some tips on how to make friends whilst at university and … More Five ways that helped me to make friends at NTU