What is 'The SU'?
You may have heard students or staff referring to something called 'The SU', and wondered what that means. The SU stands for The Students' Union, and we look after everything to do with your student experience beyond your academic study. This includes student societies, sports, arts, volunteering, advice, peer mentoring, our bar and club (which we call The Plug & Tub) and student voice. Most universities in The UK will have a Students' Union and we are here to support you throughout your time at Bath.
As an international student, you can access all parts of The SU and get involved in everything we offer, but this page is specifically for you and contains lots of information about settling into the UK, upcoming events, how to access support and much more!
What we do for you
Tea & Talks
In Semester 1, we are hosting 5 Tea & Talks especially for our international student community. These are informal opportunities to come along and meet new people over some drinks and snacks, play some games, do some colouring and give us some feedback on a variety of different topics related to the international student experience. It's also a great chance to meet your SU Officers!
- Tea & Talk 1, Thursday 5 October - Welcome to Bath
- Tea & Talk 2, Friday 20 October - Settling in & Culture Shock
- Tea & Talk 3, Tuesday 7 November - Loneliness & Homesickness
- Tea & Talk 4, Friday 24 November - Winter at Bath
- Tea & Talk 5, Monday 11 December - Christmas!
Forums
We run regular feedback forums designed to better understand your experience as international students and what we can do to support and improve your experience. Do come along to these to share your voice, meet your SU Community Officer and meet your International Executive Committee.
Language Cafés - 13:00 - 14:00 in The Edge
The Language Café is run by volunteers who are either native or fluent speakers of various languages including: Arabic, British Sign Language, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Welsh.
Each session, we'll suggest a theme to give you a starting point for your conversation and to help you learn something new each time.
Every language has its own conversation group. Where possible, we'll divide groups by language level, from beginner to advanced. Conversation groups are small so that everyone gets a chance to speak.
Language PAL
PAL is a supportive and confidential space to practise your language skills and ask questions you don't want to ask your language teacher. Sessions are informal and fun, allowing attendees to learn and grow in confidence through language games, listening to music, watching clips from films or TV shows or simply having conversations with other language learners. There are also lots of opportunities for you to cover things you’re struggling with as you get to grips with the language.
You can find out more on our dedicated Language PAL page.
Top Tips for Living in the UK
When you come to the UK to study, there are many things which might be new to you - from the language to the weather to the food! The University has created a guidance blog for 'Living in the UK'. This contains information about shopping, healthcare, money, banking and much more.
International Food
- Perfecto International Supermarket sells a wide range of food from all around the world.
- There are several Asian supermarkets in Bath, including Friends Forever, Hai Na and Hondo Chinese Supermarket.
- Smak Polski is a shop dedicated to Polish food.
- There are some online shops which sell Kosher and Halal produce, including Just Kosher, Healthy Halal and The Halal Foodshop.
Check out more places to eat in Bath!
Signposting and Support
The University and The SU have a number of services designed to support you as an international student at Bath:
- Advice & Support Centre - offer specialist and independent support with academic processes, housing and personal issues. Advisors are available Monday - Friday between 10:00 and 15:30.
- Student Immigration Service - offers immigration advice to help students apply for and maintain visas.
- Support & Report Tool - all staff, students, and visitors can report discrimination, misconduct, harassment or assault by using this tool. You can report anonymously or get support from an adviser.
- Studying at Bath as an International Student - this page contains lots of important information about studying at Bath.
Get Involved
As an international student at Bath, you can get involved in everything we do as an SU, but there are some specific things you might like to be involved with:
- Faith and Cultural Societies - we have a number of SU groups dedicated to different faiths and cultures, where you can meet and socialise with people of the same religion or nationality as you.
- International Executive Committee - this a group of elected students who represent the international student voice at Bath.
Blogs and Stories
We would love to hear about your experience of being an international student! Please get in touch with suinternational@bath.ac.uk if you would like to share your story.
Check out this student's story - How to Navigate Life as an Under 18, International Student
What's On
Events in The SU
Contact us
Email:
suinternational@bath.ac.uk
Your SU Community Officer: sucommunity@bath.ac.uk