Welcome to Regent’s University

During our stay in London we live in Reid Hall, the student accommodation on campus. We both have a single room here which includes a bed, shelves and a working space. The accommodation also includes lovely neighbours from all over the world. Seriously if you stay in Reid Hall it feels like living in a little community and you definitely will never feel lonely. You can always go down in the common room and people will be there for talks, working together for university or for a round of Mario Kart on the N64. And if you just need to relax after a day full of classes, your room is just around the corner.
But now enough of our living situation let’s talk about our first weeks here at Regent’s University and those were very different for us two.

I, Veronique, took every Opportunity in Freshers Week to have a great time and learn more about the University. That all started on September 20, where we were welcomed joyfully at Regent’s University in London. Our welcome week started with a talk about the semester abroad and got better and better every day. On the first evening, there was a speed friending to get to know everyone better. Afterwards, we all went to a bar together. The next morning, we went on a campus tour to get to know our university better. Regent’s University is located in Regent’s Park, so we got a tour through the park and around the neighbouring streets. The day ended with another party at the university. The following evening, we partied together for the first time at Bredfords. Bredfords is the university’s own bar, which is also located in the university building and is always open from Mondays to Thursdays. The crowning finale of our first welcome week was the freshers boat party. We had a party on a boat that sailed on the Thames. This party was the highlight of our first week and the many activities made it super easy to make new contacts at the university and find your first friends.

The next week, classes really started. In addition to getting to know the lecturers and information about exams, there was also another unforgettable moment: the Grand Autumn Party. This party is a tradition at Regent’s University to start the new semester. Both current students and alumni come here to celebrate together. The dress code is dress to impress, and this party was also very impressive. There were free food stalls with many culinary specialities or even cupcakes and macarons with the university’s logo. In addition to delicious food, both a DJ and live music provided the atmosphere. The evening was made even more special by stilt-walkers and men dancing in a completely mirrored outfit. This evening will remain in our memories forever. With a photo box and a photographer, these unforgettable moments were also captured for us.
All this made sure that we enjoyed every moment of the first two weeks.

For Me, Niclas, it was a pretty different Fresher’s week. Since the University wants to stop the spread of covid, the students have to test themselves every 72 hours and if any symptoms come up, have to immediately isolate themselves. And now guess what happened, yeah I had symptoms and a positive covid test. So it was 11 days of self-isolating for me. I was moved into a room same size as my previous one but with a private bathroom and I stayed there with me, myself and I until the NHS allowed me to leave self-isolation. But the staff of Reid Hall, who brought me food for every meal, and the friends I made in the first three days made my trip through quarantine less hard. The community here at Reid Hall really never let me down even in a time where I wasn’t even with them.

So we will now look forward for the next exciting weeks in London. We will keep you updated and are happy that you will follow us on our Journey. See you in the next one!