Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of activity and a happy bustle in all of the Unilife buildings with residents unpacking, exploring, meeting the Unilife Teams and making themselves at home in their new studio.
Here at Unilife, we have been busy planning opportunities for residents to meet neighbours and create new friendships during Welcome Month 2020. (It will play out a little differently this year, but we guarantee it will be fuelled with maximum energy!) So far, there have been ‘Mini Meet & Greet’ events featuring 6 residents all meeting each other for the first time – including new arrivals to the city of Portsmouth and of course our experienced returners! The Unilife Student Ambassadors have been busy ensuring that every resident knows a friendly face (other than the Unilife Team!) and supporting new arrivals to feel happy and sociable. During the Mini Meet & Greet events there has been cake (yum!) and other sweet treats (a Unilife staple!) and residents have been enjoying plenty of games including Uno Flip, Dobble and a classic Unilife favourite – Spoons!
Whether you’re new to Unilife or fully immersed in how life rolls at our ultimate student living locations, we’d like you to know that staff are on hand, 24/7, to help you get your bearings and settle in. The Unilife Team are ‘walking encyclopedias’ with their knowledge of the local area. They know (and have tried!) all the best places to eat and drink, the local beauty spots and are always recommending new places to visit! They are here to fix, help, support and advise – and it’s always with a smile!
If you haven’t already, we’d recommend following our Facebook (@unilifestudent) and Instagram (@unilifestudent) pages for up to the second info about what’s going on in our Unilife locations. We’ve been checking out all the local Student Union’s social media for insights into how they’re running their student welcome activities this year – highlights are below so you can make the most of what’s going on in your place of study.
Southampton
The Freshers’ Fayre is one of the most exciting fixtures of Solent University– this year the Students' Union will be putting on fantastic virtual events including a societies fair and student hangout groups. There are lots of activities to get involved in, as well as opportunities to get to know the city of Southampton and to meet fellow students. They'll also be hosting a pop-up Union on campus for students that are physically on-site, as well as plenty of activities anyone can enjoy wherever they are in the world. Follow Solent University on social media for the latest news and events @solentsu on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
There are freebies, experiences and excitement to enjoy during Southampton University’s first official Welcome 2020 event - The BIG SUSU Online Fair. The Student Union has partnered up with Virtual Freshers Festival for this online event that will run from 29th September - 1st October – you can book your free ticket to participate here: https://freshersfestival.com/susu/
Portsmouth
The University of Portsmouth is holding a welcome month for new students. With around 300 online and in-person (mostly free!) events, there are movie nights, walking tours, radio shows, virtual online afternoon tea gatherings – plenty of opportunities to meet new friends and explore new surroundings. Take a peek at what’s on here - https://myport.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/events?eventtype=Welcome+Month
Winchester
Winchester Student Union has both online and SU based events going ahead, including a pub quiz – BIG FAT QUIZ (starting 6.30 pm and 8 pm) at The Vault pub in the Student Union. Tickets (for max. 6 players per team subject to the household or social distancing) are available in advance. Activity group stalls in The Vault are also running daily for in-person discussion sessions about the societies and activities on offer all year, from 12-2 pm, until October 9th. Further info can be found here: https://www.winchesterstudents.co.uk/events
