How to Handle the Transition of International Study to University Study

Moving to a new country to study is not just about switching classrooms; it’s about switching entire systems of thinking, speaking, learning, and sometimes, even eating dinner at 5:30 p.m.

Fortunately, you’re not alone and Shuangting is here to share their tips on how to handle the transition.

Tags: Studying Tips and Tricks, Wellbeing Tips and Tricks, International Students

As an international student who transitioned from studying in China to starting a postgraduate research degree in the UK, I can say that the adjustment is real, but so is the growth. The good news? You don’t have to get it right all at once. Here are a few things I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) about making the leap from international study to university life in the UK.

You land. You unpack. You find your building. Then suddenly, you’re surrounded by smiling strangers saying “Welcome!” and also “Have you enrolled online yet?” You nod, pretending you understand both.

There’s a strange silence around the real overwhelm: the admin systems that don’t translate, the Library platform that isn’t Canvas, the casual classroom humour you don’t quite get.

What helped: Writing things down. Not just lists, but tiny translations. What does “submit via Tabula” mean? Where’s FAB? What’s the difference between a seminar and a workshop? I made myself a mini glossary of Warwick life. Sounds silly, worked wonders.

You don’t have to understand everything in the first month. Or even the first term. You’re allowed to feel new, different, and even a bit lost. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, it means you’re in transition.

What helped me most was getting involved in small, manageable ways: going to a welcome event, joining a student society, or just showing up to weekly “Research Refresh” sessions (an event that was on last year for researchers) for free tea and unstructured conversations.

The turning point for me wasn’t when I stopped feeling like an international student, it was when I realised that everyone at university is adjusting to something. That made me feel less like an outsider, and more like… a person in progress.

One of the most overlooked challenges in academic transition isn’t found in the reading list, it’s in the spaces between: how people communicate, how expectations are expressed, and how “unspoken norms” shape everyday academic life.

For example, I quickly realised that email is a serious academic tool in the UK. A professor might say “feel free to email me,” but how you write that email, tone, clarity, even the subject line, matters. In my previous learning environment, emails were more transactional and often reserved for formal situations. Here, they are part of the learning dialogue.

Yes, I still worry about mispronouncing certain words (why is “thorough” not “though”?), and yes, sometimes I pause mid-sentence searching for the right phrase. But I’ve learned that people are often more patient than I expect, and usually just as curious about my language as I am about theirs.

Also, you’re not alone. Many students around you are multilingual, learning to write essays in a second or third language. That in itself is an incredible achievement, and one that deserves recognition, not self-doubt.

And honestly? Your accent is part of your story. Own it.

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that asking for help isn’t a sign of falling behind, it’s part of how learning works here. In many educational cultures, especially where hierarchy is emphasised, students tend to wait: wait to be invited to ask questions, wait for feedback to be offered, wait until they’re struggling to reach out. But in UK higher education, you’re expected to take initiative early.

There are far more resources available than I initially realised. Office hours aren’t a formality, they’re an open space to test ideas, ask for clarification, or simply talk through your line of thinking.

The Library, too, is not just a place to get resources and a study space. They have informative displays and stands on the first floor, sensory events to explore and decompress, and if that wasn’t enough, they also have helpful online courses for academic skills and Research and Academic Support Librarians for each subject, just waiting to help you as best they can. These aren’t “extras”, they’re designed as part of the learning infrastructure.

As a Library Student Partner, I’ve seen how students who access these opportunities early tend to navigate their degrees more confidently. They build support into their routine, not just as an emergency fix, but as part of how they learn, reflect, and grow.

Taking the first step to ask for help can feel unfamiliar, but it’s one of the most empowering things you can do.

Group projects can be challenging for any student, but for international students, they often come with an added layer of negotiation. Different academic systems approach collaboration in different ways: some prioritise equal input and informal brainstorming, while others value clear leadership and division of labour.

In my first group project, I hesitated to speak up when I disagreed with the plan. I worried it would sound confrontational. But I later realised that UK classrooms often expect students to voice disagreement, not as conflict, but as contribution. Being honest (and respectful) about your perspective is part of how trust is built.

I also learned that silence doesn’t always mean agreement, and that deadlines mean different things to different people. It helped to set up clear ground rules early: who’s doing what, when we check in, and what “finished” looks like. Clarity reduces stress more than politeness ever could.

Working across cultures doesn’t just teach you how to adapt, it teaches you how to communicate more intentionally, and to lead with both curiosity and boundaries.

While group projects bring collaboration into focus, the bulk of academic life in the UK relies on a very different model: independent study. This doesn’t just mean working alone, it means being responsible for shaping your own pace, schedule, and academic direction.

In my earlier education experience, there was often a fixed structure: weekly assignments, teacher-led reviews, regular reminders. Here, I encountered fewer checkpoints and more trust, trust that I would read, reflect, and manage my own timeline.

At first, this open structure felt disorienting. There were moments when I didn’t know how much was “enough” or when exactly I should start preparing for something. But gradually, I began to treat independent study as a skill in itself, one that involves breaking larger goals into smaller, trackable steps, reviewing my own understanding regularly, and holding myself accountable without external deadlines.

And even within this independence, I realised I didn’t have to be isolated. Some of my best learning happened during casual conversations in the postgraduate study area, or by dropping into a Library workshop I hadn’t planned to attend. Independence here isn’t about studying in silence, it’s about learning how to move forward with self-direction and awareness of the support that’s always available.

No one arrives at university with all the answers, especially when you’ve crossed borders, systems, and academic styles to get there.

The key? Stay curious. Ask the awkward question. Bring your lunch if you miss hot food. Try a Library workshop even if you’re not sure what “referencing drop-in” means. You don’t have to figure it all out alone, and you’re definitely not the only one still figuring it out.

Eventually, it clicks. And when it does, you’ll realise: this isn’t just a transition. It’s you building a way of studying, and living, that’s entirely your own.