INCOMING STUDENT GUIDE A guide to help you settle in, adapt, and succeed during your time at the University of East Anglia.
INCOMING
STUDENT GUIDE
A guide to help you settle in, adapt, and succeed during your time at the University of East Anglia.
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Table of Contents WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA! III
ADVICE FOR THE FIRST 24 HOURS V
SECTION ONE: SETTLING IN 1
Buses and Bus passes 1
Taxis and Numbers 1
Food Shopping in Norwich 2
General Shopping and Exploring 5
Chapelfield and Castle Mall 6
Getting a Phone or a SIM-Card 6
Banks and Cashpoints 7
SECTION TWO: UK AND UEA ACADEMICS 9
Academic Term 9
What can I expect from my modules? 9
What is the difference between a seminar, a lecture and a tutorial? 10
What is a HUB? 10
Where is mine? 10
Changing Modules/Seminars? 11 Important Note - Module Change Request Form 12
Erasmus + Students and Learning Agreements 12
SECTION THREE: CAMPUS LIFE 13
Health & Safety Information 13
Medical Centre and the Dentist 13
Student Services 13
Union of UEA Students: 13
Dean of Students: 14
CareerCentral: 14
On Campus Food 14
Events 15
The Sportspark 15
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Laundry 15
Library 16
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts 16
SECTION FOUR: TRAVELS 18
Norwich, Norfolk and East Anglia 18
London 18
UK 19
Europe 20
Travel Websites 21
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Welcome to the University of East Anglia!
My name is Patrick Bingham. I am the current North American Student Ambassador at the
University of East Anglia. On behalf of Study Abroad and the International Office, I would like
to extend the warmest of welcomes to you. Your journey, much like my own, will be one of
your greatest adventures and remain with you for the rest of your life. Hopefully, you will
remember the time you spent at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, Norfolk
fondly. Whether you are here for a semester or for a full academic year, this will be an
experience that will force you to step outside of your comfort zone and to embrace a new
culture.
To make your stay in the UK and at the UEA even better, we have put together this handbook
to assist you on your journey. Whilst this handbook is by no means a comprehensive ‘how to’
survival guide to the UK, it is designed to be a launching off point, shaped mainly by my own
experiences, to answer some of the questions you may have never thought to ask. The
information within is what I wish I had known upon arrival to the UK, but it is by no means a
spoiler to your own experiences. Rather, it will hopefully help you to jump right into British
culture with a higher level of awareness and make your time here much more significant.
There are three sections to this handbook followed by a glossary of useful terms, both in
terms of academia and in terms of the every day. Whether you are an anglophile or
completely new to British culture, there will be something useful to you, no doubt. As I am
from the USA and not a native Brit, it has been edited by local eyes to ensure accuracy about
the culture that I may have misread. The first section is all about settling in. It answers
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questions about: where you can do your food shopping, purchase a sim card or phone, catch
a taxi and general day-to-day stuff. Settling in is an ongoing process, but hopefully the tips
provided will speed up that process slightly!
In the second and third sections, the Campus, UK Academics and what it is to be a student at
UEA are covered. Here you will find links to valuable resources such as the Dean of Students,
but also how to book a ticket to the LCR on a Saturday night (this will become very important
to some of you as the semester progresses)! It provides information on what to expect from
your modules (classes) and where to hand in assignments. Finally, the fourth section covers
the most important part of your time here: travelling. Here I hopefully have given you some
valuable tips about the best time to book Ryanair flights to Ireland and how to get to Stansted
Airport from UEA or into central London to see that Westend Show you have to see (Wicked
anyone?).
With this in mind, I hope you find this handbook useful. At the end of your time at UEA, we
hope you can provide us with further elements to incorporate into the handbook so that
future visiting and exchange students can have the best experience possible. Enjoy your time
at the UEA, in England and should you travel there, around Europe.
With best wishes,
Patrick Bingham
North American Student Ambassador
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Advice for the First 24 Hours
You’ve made it to England. Now it’s time to get to Norwich. Many of you will be flying from
all across the world, coming from as close as France or as far away as Australia. Some of you
will land at Heathrow, Stansted or Norwich Airports. And others will come via the train on the
Eurostar. If you came in through Norwich International Airport, you have a short taxi trip from
the airport to UEA, which takes about 10 minutes. If you do so, it is best to book a taxi after
you land and make it through immigration (see the numbers for taxis in the next section). For
those of you arriving from Stansted Airport, you can book a seat on a coach (or charter bus)
called National Express. Their website is www.nationalexpress.com. Book as early as possible
to ensure the cheapest ticket, but allow yourself time to get through customs! If you are flying
through Stansted, you also have the opportunity to book a ticket on the train the Stansted
express, which goes via Cambridge or London Liverpool Street train station. From Heathrow,
you can get here with National Express, which drops you off at UEA or you can be adventurous
and travel on the tube into central London; take the Piccadilly line (dark blue) to Holborn,
change to the Central Line (Red) and get off at London Liverpool Street. Then it’s a short 2
hour train journey from London to Norwich. If I were you, I would advise not taking the
Heathrow Express as it is expensive (20 quid/pounds!) and you have to make a couple
transfers on the underground (aka the Tube).
Now you are in Norwich and you’ve either taken a cab from the airport to UEA or you are
taking the 25/26/27 bus from the Norwich Train Station to campus (£2.50 for a single!). You
have checked in and gotten your keys to your accommodation and are settling in for the first
hour. Loads of stuff will naturally be going through your mind, as happened with me. When I
first arrived, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to sleep or explore my surroundings all at
once. This is completely natural because it’s all exciting and new. My best advice would be do
what suits you best.
First, I would suggest getting familiar with your accommodation. Make sure you know what
everything is and how it all works. Things we take for granted, such as light switches,
outlets/sockets, how to flush a toilet, how the shower works, how to use the grill on the
cooker (or if you are from the US/Canada, also known as the broiler, but used more often
here) and how to lock and unlock doors. These are all things that in our normal surroundings
seem like such silly things to think about, but actually can complicate your stay. For instance,
on outlets/sockets, there is a switch next to it that you must turn to give power to it:
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Then in the bathroom (loo, toilet, and my personal favourite: the bog), you may notice that
there aren’t any outlets/sockets at all, just this:
What do you do? What is a shaver? Is that the same as a razor? And if so, why can you only
charge a razor in the bathroom and not plug in a hair dryer or hair straightener? There is no
mirror in my bedroom, so what do I do? (Note: this is not the same as an EU plug, so do not
try to use it!!!).
These things are the kinds of things that can really put a damper on your initial 24 hours in a
foreign country. For some of you, this may be normal and everyday, but for some of you,
particularly those from the US and Canada, you may find this a bit strange. Fortunately, you
will learn to adapt, you just have to figure out what works for you.
Next, you probably want some food, but don’t know how to get anywhere, and chances are,
if you’ve arrived late, you may not have many options. If you live on or near campus, there is
a 24 hour petrol garage (gas station) right around the corner (see map under food shopping)
where you can get a meal deal (sandwich, bag of crisps and a drink for around £3) and some
essentials like toothpaste and toilet roll (or toilet paper).
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Once you have food in you, this would be the best time to explore your surroundings and
familiarise yourself with landmarks. If you came with friends, go out together. If not, it’s no
big deal, you could always take pictures with your camera to remember how to get to and
from where you are.
But, word of caution, figure out the correct way to look when crossing the street. This may
seem completely obvious, however, if you have only known that cars drive on the right side
of the road and not the left, your instincts will tell you to look left first and not right, which
could be extremely dangerous. My dad gave me the same advice the first time I travelled to
the UK and I laughed at him. When I got here and started walking around, I found myself
extremely confused and had some very close calls, because I did not look in the right direction.
Now when I go home I have the same problem because I’ve gotten so familiar with left-hand
driving.
Take advantage of your first 24 hours and make the most of it. If you need a power nap, take
one, but don’t let it last longer than 20 minutes. You need to get over jetlag as soon as
possible, because hey, why waste any amount of time whilst you are abroad!
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Section One: Settling in
Buses and Bus passes The buses are the easiest way to travel between the City centre and campus, there are two
bus stops situated on campus, one along Chancellor’s Drive and the other between the Sports
Park and Central Campus. Using the First Bus the number 25 or 26 will take you between UEA
and the city centre, with stops on St Stephen’s Street (in front Debenhams – going away from
campus – and in front of Barclays – going towards campus) and at Castle Meadow (in front of
the Castle):
A single trip to the centre of the City will cost £2.60 for an adult ticket and £1.60 for a
young person ticket (15-19 years old).
A return is £4.30 for an adult ticket and £3 for a young person ticket (15-19 years old).
A day pass is £4.80 for an adult ticket and £3.60 for a young person ticket (15-19 years
old).
It is also worth considering purchasing a bus pass, more information is available at
http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/suffolk_norfolk/tickets/student_bus_travel/ticket.php.
The campus also has bus stops for National Express and Megabus which run throughout the
Country and directly to London.
There is a handy iPhone/Android app called Traveline GB (free) that gives you the schedule
for the buses at that particular stop. It shows you what time they are scheduled and their live
arrival times to the bus stops. The other handy thing about this app is you can use it anywhere
in the world. So if you are travelling to say Germany for a weekend, you can use this app to
find out when and from where buses will depart.
Taxis and Numbers Taxis are always useful and are a good option when you have lots of luggage, going food
shopping or are out late in the City. If you are travelling as a group of four, it is typically
cheaper than getting the bus. Here are a few taxi numbers that charge a controlled fare based
on distance (i.e., ABC is £6.50 from campus to the city centre).
ABC Taxis – 01603 666333
Beeline Taxis – 01603 767676
Courtesy Taxis – 01603 446644
1st Goldstar – 01603 700700
Green Frog Taxis – 01603 744747
If you are out and about in the city centre or coming back to Norwich from travels around
England, there is a taxi rank in the Market Square (just between the Market and Tesco Metro)
and one at the Train Station. These are black cabs, usually and charge a per kilometre rate.
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To make sure you get to the right place, whether booking a taxi via phone or hailing one at
the Train Station or Market Square, you will need to ensure that you know what your
accommodation is (or your address if you live off campus) and indicate specifically where you
would like to go. If you are returning from the city or the Train Station, you can specify your
accommodation as the place you wish to be dropped off, or if there are more of you and you
all live in separate areas, the LCR turnaround is a great central location to be dropped off.
From my experience, if you are trying to book a taxi on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, the
best option for you is to book it at least two hours before you want to leave or through their
Android/iPhone app, if they have one. A note on booking through their apps: if you have more
than four people with you, you must call and specify how many are in your party. They may
send a mini-bus, which cost about £10, or they may send two cabs to get everyone. If you
have a large party, book your taxis well in advance (at least 3 hours before you wish to leave
and specify that you need a mini-bus) on these days.
ABC Taxis also have an app for iPhone and Android, which can be more convenient for
booking. A word of caution, however, is that you can only book a taxi for up to 4 people. If
you have a large group, you will need to phone the taxi company and give them the total
number in the group.
Food Shopping in Norwich There are many places to do your food shopping. If you live on campus, you have the option
of utilising the Shop, which is located across from the Union Pub and next to Café Direct. The
Shop is open from:
Term Time Hours:
Mon - Fri: 7.30am - 11pm - night hatch: 11pm-2am
Sat: 9am - 11pm and night hatch 11pm - 3am
Sun: 10.30am - 8.30pm and night hatch 8pm – midnight
Out of Term Hours:
Mon - Fri: 7.30am – 7pm
Sat - Sun: 9am-6pm
Night Hatch: 6pm-11pm
Night Hatch:
The night hatch is a window service attached to the Shop and is open late hours. You can
order hot food and other items from the shop after the store has closed.
Supermarkets:
Additionally, there is a 24 hour Tesco Petrol Garage/Supermarket a short 5 minute walk away
from campus located at the ‘Fiveways’ roundabout. From the main entrance to campus on
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Bluebell Road, you turn left and walk until you get to the roundabout. Just beyond the Tesco
on Bluebell Road is also a Co-op, another supermarket.
Campus to Tesco and CO-OP Map
If you plan on doing a larger food shop and need more of a selection, there is a large
Sainsbury’s opposite the Bus Station on Queens Road. See map below for directions from
Chapelfield.
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Chapelfield to Sainsbury’s Map
Opposite the train station and behind Riverside, there is a large Morrisons. There is also a bus
stop right outside the supermarket (or as we say in the US the grocery store) that the 25, 26
and 27 buses stop at.
A note on shopping at larger supermarkets:
It is common practice in the UK to charge a pound deposit to use a shopping trolley/cart.
There is also the option for home delivery from the major supermarkets: Tesco, Morrisons,
Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, ASDA and Iceland.
While Marks and Spencer and Waitrose are generally more expensive to shop in than Tesco
or Sainsbury’s, they often have amazing deals on amazingly delicious, pre-prepared meals
that you can heat up in the microwave. There is an M&S (to which it is referred in colloquial
terms) located in the city centre, just next to Chapelfield Shopping Centre and across from a
BHS. The Waitrose is a little closer to campus, however there is not a direct bus that goes to
this area from campus. If you wish to walk, you simply turn right onto Bluebell Road and walk
straight along the pavement (or the sidewalk) until you arrive. It is 1.3 miles or 2.1 km away
from campus, and according to google maps, takes 23 minutes to walk there.
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Takeaways:
Finally, we all have times where we don’t want to cook and simply want a takeaway (or get
takeout as we say in the US). www.justeat.co.uk is a great resource to find takeaways near
you. You can even order online. One note, if you choose to pay for it online with a credit or
debit card, there may be restrictions from your home bank if you do not have a UK bank
account. There is always, of course, the option to pay with cash. The UEA’s postcode is NR4
7TJ (in the US, that would be the zipcode) and when you choose to order the food, you can
indicate where you would like it to be delivered (if you want it delivered to your halls, simply
put the name of your residence and the driver will call you when he/she has arrived; or you
can get it delivered to outside the LCR, which is the central part of campus accessible via car).
General Shopping and Exploring Norwich is renowned as one of the key shopping cities in East Anglia. We have a wonderful
variety of mainstream shops, which are found in the major shopping centre (or mall)
Chapelfield, and interesting and unique, independent boutiques dotted about the Lanes (one
of the oldest areas of Norwich!). There is something for everyone here in Norwich and a whole
host of shops to help you get the essentials for your stay in the UK.
The normal shopping hours in the UK vary from city to city, but in most places, the typical
hours of operation for businesses, especially retail ones are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
9AM to 5PM (0900-1700). Thursdays are late night shopping, typically, with hours from 9AM
to 8PM (09:00-20:00). Fridays and Saturday hours are typically 9AM to 7PM (09:00-19:00),
with Sundays having reduced hours to 11AM to 5PM (11:00-17:00). Please note that these
are generalised hours, and some stores may open or close earlier or later than the indicated
times.
Smaller supermarkets typically stay open until 10/11PM (22:00/23:00) and the larger
versions, such as ASDAs and big Tescos are open 24 hours a day from Monday starting at 6AM
(06:00) until 12:00AM (00:00) Saturday Night. On Sundays the smaller supermarkets tend to
close an hour earlier, whereas the larger supermarkets are open 10AM to 4PM (10:00-16:00).
Shopping for Essentials (i.e., Bedding, Cleaning Supplies, Food Storage Containers or
Tupperware, Bathroom supplies):
Here is a list of possible stores to find these essentials:
Boots: This is a pharmacy (like a CVS or Walgreens, if you are from the US). There is a
Boots next to the medical centre on campus and there is a large one in Chapelfield
Shopping Centre. You can get Paracetamol (Acetaminophen/Tylenol) and Ibuprofen
for extremely cheap (usually about £0.50 a pack). In the UK, pharmacies typically sell
more than just medicine and health care items. They also have great selections for
makeup, chocolate, and the one in Chapelfield also has a meal deal (comprised of a
sandwich, bag of crisps (or chips) and a drink for around £3.20). This is also a great
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place to get travel size products, if you plan on going abroad whilst you are at UEA.
Make sure you get a Boots card! You can save a lot of money with one!
Wilkinsons: This is a fantastic store that has everything you could need for the home.
They have a hardware department, a kitchen department, bedding department,
cleaning supplies and a seasonal/toy department. It is a fairly inexpensive store that
has loads of deals/offers every week and is connected to Chapelfield Shopping Centre.
Clas Ohlson: This is another great store that provides you with cheap essentials. The
most comparable store of its kind is IKEA.
Argos: This is very similar to Clas Ohlson. This is a catalogue store that holds their
wares in the storeroom. They typically have a larger range of goods than either Clas
Ohlson or Wilkinsons, but you may only view the items in the catalogue.
Chapelfield and Castle Mall There are two malls or shopping centres in Norwich. The newer of the two is Chapelfield. It
opened in 2005 and has major brands such as Apple, Hollister and H&M. There are also British
stores, such as River Island, House of Fraser, Clinton’s Cards and more. Naturally, there is a
food court on the third floor of the mall with a Pizza Hut, McDonalds and KFC.
Castle Mall is our other shopping centre in Norwich. This mall has 5 levels with Vue Cinema at
the top. Whilst there are major stores in this shopping centre, it has loads of local shops to
visit with some unique English and Norwich paraphernalia to peruse. There is a great store
with pop culture memorabilia called Gifted and a unique hobby/toy shop on the bottom floor.
There is also a TK MAXX (TJ MAXX, if you are from the US), which has excellent deals on
bedding, kitchen and home goods. Also, if you love IKEA style shops, please visit Tiger. It is a
Danish chain of stores that is super cheap and super brilliant. I always find myself there getting
Stroopwaffels, liquorice, and gifts for friends’ birthdays (and for myself).
Getting a Phone or a SIM-Card You have several options for getting a pay as you go sim-card for your phone; however, before
you can put in a new sim, you must ensure that your phone is unlocked and free to use on
any network. If you come to the UK with a locked phone, you will have to buy a new phone
whilst you are here (assuming you want to have a phone here). The major mobile network
providers here cannot assist you in unlocking your phone, so please make sure that you have
this sorted out with your provider in your home country.
The major networks in the UK are EE (includes T-Mobile and Orange), O2, Vodafone,
Virgin, and Three. Each company is known for something different, with EE focusing
on 4G capabilities, O2 and Vodafone having the best coverage, and Three with its
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unlimited data plans. Additionally, there are lower cost networks, such as Giff-Gaff
and Lebara that have great offers. You can purchase all of these sims from the
networks’ stores or you can purchase a sim in most corner shops (convenience stores)
or grocery stores. Most pay-as-you-go sim cards are available at The Shop on campus
and you can get top-up vouchers there, as well.
If you require a phone, you should go into one of the networks’ stores and ask for pay
as you go phones. If you purchase a pay as you go phone, they will be basic phones
and the sim and phone will cost around £10-£15 pounds. SMS (text messaging) and
voice calling are always included.
A note about the major companies. I have used Three since I arrived in Norwich. They
do not have the best signal out of the major mobile providers; however, I have stuck
with them for two very important reasons: 1) they have the best amount of data for
both pay-as-you-go and monthly contracts (typically unlimited), and 2) they have a
programme called Feel At Home that works with both contract and pay-as-you-go
plans. Feel At Home is designed to let you use your mobile phone from the UK as
normal whilst travelling to other countries. Not every country in Europe is included,
but key places like France, Italy, Spain, and Ireland are included in this scheme. This
means that you can call UK numbers for free without incurring roaming charges (thus
depleting your Pay-As-You-Go allotment or charging you outlandish fees for making
those calls); and the best part is you can use your data as normal. If you are staying
for a year and are from Australia and the US, and decide to go home for Christmas,
you can also use Feel at Home in these countries as well. You can visit Three’s website
here: http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Feel_At_Home.
Banks and Cashpoints There are several different banks in the UK. The most frequent ones are Barclays, HSBC,
Lloyds, Santander and NatWest. These will be the ones you see in the south of England, more
commonly. In the city centre, the banks are scattered around, as are the cashpoints (ATMs).
Most of these allow free money withdrawals (which will be exciting for you Americans – no
$2 fee for taking out money from a competitor bank!), though some of the independent
cashpoints in corner shops or at bars/night clubs may incur a small charge (roughly £1.80). On
UEA’s campus, we have a Barclays Bank with two Barclays cashpoints and two general
cashpoints. As mentioned previously, either one is free to use with a UK account.
If you are here long enough to open a bank account, then do so immediately. I would
recommend opening one with Barclays as they are on campus and are used to
international students. The branches in town may or may not be as familiar with
international needs. If you are not able to open a UK bank account, then I would highly
recommend drawing out large amounts of cash in one go, as your bank will charge you
an exchange fee.
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One thing you may notice while you are here is that debit and credit cards have chips
in them. If your country does not use chip and pin, you may have problems with paying
at retail shops and supermarkets, as swipe only cards (US bank cards) have not been
used here for some time now. I know when I first got here, I tried to top up my oyster
card for the underground in London, and it kept rejecting my card because it was not
Chip and Pin enabled. The same rule will apply for most European countries, should
you travel abroad. Finally, if you do use a swipe only card, they are required by law to
verify your signature on the back of the card with an ID that shows your signature
(such as your passport).
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Section Two: UK and UEA Academics
Academic Term The typical Academic term is divided into two terms (or semesters): Autumn and Spring. Each
term runs for 12 weeks, with a reading week usually occurring during week 6 (though not all
schools have them – LAW for example does not). Autumn Term time begins roughly the last
week of September, dependent upon the year, and finishes early- to mid-December. The
Spring Term begins roughly the second week of January and finishes late April/early May;
there is a long break for the Easter holidays between end of March and mid-April. Exams for
both the Autumn and the Spring commence the Monday after week 12 of the Spring Term.
What can I expect from my modules? No module is the same. They each run dependent upon the Associate Tutor/Lecturer/Senior
Lecturer/Reader/Professor. Some modules will meet once a week for three hours, whereas
some will be comprised of different components that require multiple meetings during a
week. One may expect to have a range of assessments throughout the duration of their
modules. These assessments will vary and include both formative and summative
assessments.
Formative assessments are unmarked work that prepare you for the summative
assessments. These assessments are designed to give both the student and the
lecturer an idea of where that individual and/or the group stand in terms of the
material covered. It also allows the student to receive feedback on their writing and
critical thinking abilities in order to improve and succeed well on the summative
assessments. Formative assessments can include blog entries, pop quizzes, proposals,
reading responses, presentations, and class participation.
Summative assessments are the marked (or graded) assignments for the module.
These assessments test the student’s abilities both critically and in terms of the
material covered. Each summative assessment will be handed in to the student’s
respective HUB and will be double marked by the Lecturer and another member of
staff within that department. The Lecturer will indicate when and where these
assessments are to be turned in or attended by the student and the assessments will
count towards the student’s overall marks. Typical summative assessments include
essays, exams, course tests, presentations (both individual and group), lab work,
course work.
The philosophy of UK higher education places an emphasis on independent learning.
This means that, in addition to the regularly scheduled meeting times for the module,
the student is expected to spend a certain number of hours per week per module.
During this time, the student is expected to complete required readings, formative
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and summative assessments, and any secondary reading (or suggested, additional
readings). This is on the onus of the student and is expected.
What is the difference between a seminar, a lecture and a tutorial?
Many modules have different elements of teaching. Each academic system will have a
different method or way to teach the material relevant to the module/class and in the UK
system, but more specifically in the UEA system these modules are typically divided into
Lectures, Seminars, Labs and Tutorials.
Lectures traditionally provide information for students with little participation. The
student is typically a receiver of information rather than a participator. Seminars on
the other hand revolve largely around participation and discussion. These are great
places to test out ideas and to work through the things that you didn’t understand
from the readings or the lectures. Always come well-prepared for both lectures and
seminars!
Tutorials are typically one-on-one instruction with your lecturer/tutor and are
generally there to help with group projects and essay plans. These typically occur
during reading week. They can also be arranged with your lecturer during their
scheduled office hours. Generally speaking, there is a sign-up sheet posted outside
your lecturer’s office and are usually 10 minutes in duration.
Labs, whilst not solely for the sciences, generally accompany lectures. They serve to
provide a hands on demonstration of the material covered. You can have labs on a
variety of different courses, but will most likely have them in BIO, ENV, CHE, CMP, to
name a few.
What is a HUB? The HUB is the main point of contact for students. They are there to assist with extensions on assessments, help with student records, timetabling/class schedule, handing in assessments, etc… To read more about the additional support they provide, please visit: www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching/hubs.
Where is mine?
There are four HUBs that serve all schools of study, but only three serve undergraduate and
study abroad students:
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ARTS 1 HUB AMA, DEV, ECO, HIS, LAW, LDC, PPL [email protected]
Elizabeth Fry HUB BIO, CHE, CMP, ENV,
HSC, MED, MTH, NBS, PHA,
SCI, SWK,
Zuckerman Institute
Building (ZICER) HUB
EDU, PSY [email protected]
Changing Modules/Seminars?
Changing modules is a straightforward process, but must be done by handing in a ‘module
change request form’ (Form LTS008). You can pick up one of these forms at the Study Abroad
desk or from your HUB.
To change your module, you must fill out the form with the following information:
Student Number
Name
UEA E-Mail
School of Study (i.e. AMA, which includes American Studies, Film/Media and Art)
Module you wish to change:
o Module Code
o Module Title
o Free Choice
Modules in which you wish to enrol:
o Module
o Module Title
o Free Choice
Once this form has been completed, you must return it to the Study Abroad desk in the Arts
HUB if you are in AMA, DEV, HIS, LAW, LDC and PPL. If you are in EDU or PSY, you must submit
your ‘module change request form’ to the ZICER HUB. Everyone else must return their module
change forms to the Elizabeth Fry HUB located in the Elizabeth Fry Building.
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Important Note - Module Change Request Form
The final date to hand in Module Change Request Forms is by 5:00PM Wednesday 30
September 2015 (Autumn) and 5:00PM Wednesday 20 January 2016, so that we can
process your request by the end of the second week.
We process all Module Change Request Forms in the order in which we receive them. Once
you hand these forms in, we will e-mail you when these are complete or there are any
conflicts with the selected modules. Additionally, we cannot ensure that all module change
requests will be possible.
Erasmus + Students and Learning Agreements If you have a learning agreement with your home institution (Erasmus + students), you will
need to check with your home institution when their final date for submission is. Please note
that it takes two working days to receive these back from us stamped and signed. You should
hand your learning agreement in fully completed with all relevant details to the Study Abroad
Reception Desk in the Arts Hub. We are not able to scan these for you once you are here.
However, you can do this from the Library.
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Section Three: Campus Life
Health & Safety Information UEA Security Lodge is open 24 hours a day. In case of a campus Emergency, ring 01603 592222 or if life is in danger, call 999. https://portal.uea.ac.uk/estates/security
Medical Centre and the Dentist On campus, there is a medical centre and a dentist’s office. They are in the same building and
located right next to the main entrance to campus (Bluebell Road entrance). Whether you
have access to the NHS (Tier 4 Visa holders and EU students with an EHIC card) or you are
here with personal health insurance from your home country, please ensure to register with
the Medical Centre. Do this immediately, as it may take some time to register and you don’t
want to be without medical attention should you need it. For more information, please visit:
http://www.umsuea.co.uk/.
You can also register for the Dentist (an NHS service) as well, which is located upstairs from
the Medical Centre. A check-up for the dentist to those with NHS coverage costs roughly
about £17 and fillings will cost about £40. For more information, please visit:
https://portal.uea.ac.uk/dos/wellbeing/uea-medical-and-dental-practice.
Important numbers to remember:
999 – This is for medical emergencies! Please call this if you feel you have a medical
emergency (very similar to 911 in the US)
111 – This is for medical issues, but not necessarily emergencies. It is a 24 hour service run by
the NHS (National Healthcare System) to give you advice.
Student Services There are tonnes of on campus services available to students. The three main services are the
Union of UEA Students, the Dean of Students and CareerCentral.
Union of UEA Students:
This is a student advocacy group, run by students for students. This is very similar to a student
government, which most US campuses have. They offer advice on academics, welfare and
housing, manage the 200 plus sports clubs and student societies, run the LCR and the
Waterfront (two venues for gigs and club nights) and the Union retail shops and pubs. They
are a great resource, and everyone who is a student at UEA is automatically a member. For
more information on their offerings, please visit: http://www.ueastudent.com/.
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Dean of Students:
The Dean of Students or DOS is the most comprehensive student service available to you as a
UEA student. They offer financial counselling (inclusive of interest-free, short-term loans,
should you find yourself without money), a learning enhancement team that is there to assist
you with your academics, general advice about the UK and the UEA, a free mental health
service and most importantly for you: international services.
The international services they provide vary from visa and immigration advice to
organising international student trips, run and coordinated by the International
Student Advisory Team (ISAT). They will send out regular emails offering spaces on
trips to popular destinations throughout the UK. Last year they had trips to Edinburgh,
Liverpool and even the Harry Potter Studios!
Whatever issue or advice you need, please go visit them. They are located next to the
Library and across from Waterstones bookshop on the Upper Street (above the Shop
and the Barclays). Please visit their website for more information:
https://portal.uea.ac.uk/dos.
CareerCentral:
Located on the Street in the centre of campus, CareerCentral is a one-stop shop for anything
careers related. Here, you can walk in and gain advice on CV (resume) building, finding
internships, part-time work, graduate level jobs (both here and abroad), and attend events
catered towards finding employment around the globe. They can even help you start your own
business! This service is available to any UEA student and alumni. Take advantage of it!
https://www.uea.ac.uk/careers.
On Campus Food At UEA there are loads of options for your palate. There are two cafes in the centre of campus:
Unio, which is the student union café located in the student union building; and Ziggy’s
Espresso & Sandwich bar, which is an independent café next to The Shop. You can easily
indulge in a cafe latte and a fresh Panini from either place. If you fancy something a bit more
filling, there is the option of eating at the Campus Kitchen, the UEA’s on campus canteen (or
dining hall). Meals at Campus Kitchen cost £4.95 and are served all day long. They offer a Full
English Breakfast service 7:30am-11am (this is traditional British breakfast consisting of
sausage, bacon, hash browns, sautéed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and baked beans). If
you desire to view some of the exhibits at the UEA’s Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, there is
also the Life Café, serving as both a restaurant and café. Alternatively, you can grab a delicious
burger from the Sports Park Café. In my experience, this is the best burger I’ve had in the UK,
apart from American chain restaurant TGI Fridays.
For more information and to see menu options, hours and prices, please visit:
https://portal.uea.ac.uk/campus-kitchen/cafes-and-restaurants.
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Events Every day of the week there is something to do on campus, whether it is with a club or society,
a gig at the Nick Rayns LCR (or Lower Common Room in the Student Union Building) or at the
Waterfront in town. There are guest lectures that regularly occur throughout the academic
year hosted by different Faculties, schools, organisations, etc… In the autumn, for example,
UEA holds a literary festival, inviting world renowned authors to discuss their crafts and
oeuvre. Stephen Fry (a local to Norfolk) has regularly featured as a guest speaker on campus.
Of course, sometimes you want something a bit less formal, an event that will help
you to let your hair down. UEA on Tuesdays and Saturdays holds a student union club
night at the Nick Rayns LCR. Tuesdays are typically fancy dress (this means going in
costume, not suits and ties, as I thought when I first got here!), whereas Saturdays
they play the hottest songs out. Tickets for these events go quickly and can be
purchased at the UEA Box Office located next to the reception of the Student Union
Building. If you buy the tickets in advance, they are £4 from the box office or £4.50 if
bought online (http://www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk/venues/lcr-student-
nights1.aspx).
You can purchase tickets online to most events from
http://www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk/.
One tip, if you miss tickets for any event at the Nick Rayns LCR, you can join The LCR
Ticket Exchange on Facebook. You can generally get tickets for most of the club nights
and even buy tickets to sold-out gigs! Here is the link for that group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/316131405105115/.
The Sportspark UEA is fortunate to have the largest sports facility in all of England! It is right next to the main
car park on UEA’s campus, and you get entry to it for free with your campus card. They offer
reduced rates for their facilities to all UEA students and have a range of options available to
you. Visit their website for more details about costs and memberships:
http://www.sportspark.co.uk/.
A friendly bit of advice: if you plan to go to the gym between 8:30pm and 10:00pm,
be prepared to wait! This is the most popular time for people to go as it is the cheapest
for students! Alternatively, find time in the late morning/early afternoon as it is
generally less crowded and still considered off-peak!
Laundry There are three launderettes on campus: in the Village, next to the medical centre, and next
to the Shop. It costs roughly £4.20 for a load of laundry (inclusive of washing and drying). A
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little tip, the dryers are large enough to fit a lot of clothes in them. Take advantage of this to
save some money!
Library Naturally, the most important part of your journey to UEA are your studies. UEA’s library is
one of the best in Norwich and holds over 800,000 books! They are ever expanding and try to
suit everyone’s research needs.
The library is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. To access the library,
you will need to enter with your campus card. This will let you in at all times. During
hours where permanent library staff are not working, security are stationed at the
entrance for extra precaution (even though Norwich is one of the safest cities in the
country!). When security are there, the doors to the library are locked, and you will
need to swipe your campus card against the card reader to enter the library. This
happens after midnight during term-time and all day during holidays, when the
campus is officially closed.
There is a large computer suite (computer lab) on floor 0 of the library with more than
100 computers available. If those are taken up, there are additional computers on
each floor of the library.
Floors 1-3 and 01 are silent study, meaning you cannot talk and must be mindful of
your personal noise. Also, food and drink are not permitted anywhere in the library
except on floor 0. This is to maintain the life of the books. I know I don’t want to
research with a book that has ketchup stains in it! Also, the UK has a floor numbering
system that begins on floor 0. So when you walk into a building, you will be on floor 0,
not floor 1. Floor 1 would be one floor above floor 0, while floor 01 would be one floor
below floor 0. You will get the hang of it!
To see what all the library has to offer, please visit https://portal.uea.ac.uk/library.
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts Home to UEA is the Sainsbury Centre. This world class museum holds an extensive permanent
art collection that covers ancient and indigenous to contemporary art. The permanent
collection is free to wander around and contemplate your existence in our crazy, beautiful
world. If you enrol onto any art modules, you may also be fortunate enough to have
instruction here! The teaching facilities in the SCVA are top-notch, plus you can say that you
took a module in an art museum.
Entry into the permanent collection is free for students, although temporary exhibits
incur a cost. They are open Tuesday-Friday (10-6) and Saturday and Sunday (10-5).
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There are always different events and exhibits at the SCVA. For more information, visit
their website http://scva.ac.uk/.
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Section Four: Travels
Norwich, Norfolk and East Anglia Norfolk and East Anglia are filled with amazing cities, seaside towns and history. We are the
greenest and driest region of the country and host some of the most beautiful beaches in
the UK. People in this region of the country are generally very proud of their picturesque
countryside, historic sites and sprawling, sandy beaches. Many of the places are easy to visit
and are extremely cheap to travel to. You can spend a day at the seaside town of Great
Yarmouth and experience a traditional English seaside, or you can head up to Sheringham or
Cromer to see a more tranquil environment that is less touristy and a bit cosier. Getting to
these places via train is relatively inexpensive, and if you go in a group of 3-4 will cost
roughly £5 return (round trip).
Don’t forget to have days out in your new, albeit temporary, home. There is an amazing
smartphone and tablet app called Discover Norwich. This is free from the iTunes App Store
and the Google Play Store. Keep an eye out for upcoming festivals, fun fairs and other
awesome events!
If the seaside is not your thing, then head off to Cambridge to visit the historic
colleges at Cambridge University. It is only 1 hour and 15 minute train journey; and
the same rule applies for group tickets (3-4 people and it will cost around £8-£10). To
get a group ticket, you need to go to the train station on the day and head to the
ticket counter. Tell them where you want to go, or ask where you could go for the
day with a group of 3-4 and they will be able to get you to other destinations.
Alternatively, you can book group tickets online at www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk.
It is highly recommended that you get a railcard from the train station. This is a
discount card that costs £30, but will save you ample pounds (££) in the long run. A
normal train to London one way costs about £12, whereas with the railcard, you can
typically get them for about £6-£9 if you book them far enough in advance.
London The capital city is a mere 2 hours away by train. There is so much to do in London that no
matter who you are, you will find something worthwhile. Getting there can be relatively
cheap, but I would suggest booking your tickets in advance (say 1-2 weeks before is
sufficient for a cheaper ticket). The best time to go is during the week, as weekends tend to
be overcrowded. But if you do not mind large crowds, then have at.
If you purchase a railcard, you can also get a discount on a zones 1-6 travelcard,
which is good for the day. With the railcard, these cost £5.90 and without are £8.90.
This is cheaper than buying a travelcard for zones 1-2, which is £9 (you can’t get a
discount with a railcard on zones 1-2). When in London, you can see Big Ben (aka
Elizabeth Tower – seriously – Big Ben is actually the bell itself inside Elizabeth
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Tower), Buckingham Palace (pronounced Buckingum, for all you Americans), the
London Eye, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus (great
for shopping – though insanely crowded, especially around the holidays) and many
more traditional landmarks. If you want to head off the beaten path, Camden
Market is a great place to venture to. This is one of the largest open air markets I
have been to in England, and should you find it, there is a really crazy/cool rave store
called Cyber Dog that’s worth visiting:
You can also go to Stratford (on the Central line), which is where the London
Olympics were held. You can explore the Olympic Park for a while and then head
over to Westfield’s Shopping Centre, which is the fourth largest mall in Western
Europe!
If you want to stay overnight in London, you can stay in hostels or in hotels, but the
key is to always book in advance! Premier Inns are great, because you can often get
deals for £29/night.
UK There are a number of great places to visit apart from London. You could see the majestic
Cliffs of Dover in Kent, scurry down to the West Country and visit Cornwall and Devon, or
you could travel outside of England and head up to Glasgow or Edinburgh in Scotland.
Perhaps you may want venture across the Irish Sea and head up to Northern Ireland and
visit the Giant’s Causeway. Or you can spend a weekend shopping in Manchester then head
across and down to Alton Towers for an exciting spin on Nemisis.
In essence, there are tonnes of things to do in this country and the United Kingdom.
Most major places are accessible via coach or train. Booking both in advance, which
will be reiterated thoroughly throughout this section, is key. Megabus, which has a
departure point at the UEA campus (in front of the main UEA car park at Bus Stop B),
can take you to most corners of the UK. If you leave on a Wednesday, you can often
get extremely cheap tickets to London for about £2-£3 pounds return (round trip);
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you can obviously go further than that, to say Cardiff, which I have seen for £7
pounds return as well! Alternatively you can take the train to most places, but you
will most likely have to go via London and then beyond or if you are heading North,
via Peterborough (both of which are two hour train journeys).
There is the option of flying, which you can get tickets through Flybe (leaving from
Norwich Airport), Ryanair (leaving from Stansted) or EasyJet (leaving from
Heathrow). I would advise against this, unless you can get a spectacular deal from
Flybe, because by the time you travel down to Stansted or Heathrow, you will a)
have spent £15-£20 on a train or coach that takes about 2-3 hours and b) the time
waiting at the airport for a 30 minute flight could easily be spent travelling via coach
or on the train. One note on Norwich Airport, there is a tax of £10 to be paid at the
airport and before you go through to the departure area. The first time I flew home
via Norwich, I had no idea that this would be the case and was caught off guard.
When I flew it only took cash and the cashpoint was out of order, but luckily I had a
£10 note at hand.
Europe Unless you hail from the continent, the UK was most likely a very appealing hub to access
the rest of Europe (which I cannot lie, was a major selling point for me). Flights to Europe
from the UK, and particularly from Stansted, are majorly inexpensive. I would even argue it’s
cheaper to travel throughout Europe than it is to travel throughout the US or Canada.
There are a number of ways you can get to Europe and around once you are there.
The cheapest option is surprisingly not Ryanair or EasyJet. The cheapest way to get
to Europe is to go via Megabus. From UEA you can get to Paris or Barcelona with
Megabus for around £15-£20 (one-way). If you factor in the travel to the airports,
the time you wait around for the flight and on the transportation to the airport, you
will probably have spent around £45 one-way for a flight with Ryanair. A trip from
UEA to Paris with Megabus takes roughly 12 hours and they leave once a day. You
will have to make a couple changes, but that’s still worth it. You can leave in the
morning and get there in the evening or you can leave at night and arrive back to the
UK in the early morning. Of course, you will have to have a passport and the proper
visas (if required).
Another option to get to the continent is to take the Eurostar or Rail & Sail. Eurostar
is probably the most commonly known form of travel from London-Paris. It is a two
hour train journey that leaves from St. Pancras (across from Kings Cross Station,
where Platform 9 ¾ is, all you Harry Potter fans!). There are several options with
Eurostar, but again, book far enough in advance. A return costs around £69
depending on the time of year and how late you leave it. If Paris or Brussels (another
Eurostar destination) are not your cup of tea, then you could Rail & Sail from
Norwich to Amsterdam. This is a combi-fare that includes a train journey to Harwich
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and then a Ferry across to the Netherlands, where you change at Rotterdam and
take a train up to Amsterdam. You can also do this over to Ireland as well, leaving
from Norwich to Hollyhead or Liverpool and then onto Dublin.
At last we come to Ryanair and EasyJet. These, mind you, are not the only low-cost
airlines in Europe. You also have GermanWings, Wizz Air, Pegasus Airlines,
Norwegian, with many more to name. I subscribe to Ryanair’s twitter feed for
frequent fare updates. Ryanair probably have the best deals at the most
inconvenient times. The cheapest fares usually depart between 7:00 and 7:30 in the
morning, meaning you will have to get to the airport the night before. The National
Express has a coach that leaves four times a day that goes to all the major London
airports (Stansted, Heathrow and then onto Gatwick). It is advisable to get a coach
leaving around midnight or 1am and getting to the airport at 3 for these early flights.
EasyJet have a few more convenient flights and fly to major international airports,
which makes the travelling a bit easier; however, again, you have to be willing to put
up with some inconvenient times. I don’t think I can reiterate this enough, though,
with all of the low-cost carriers, it is essential to book far enough in advance.
Whenever I book mine, I book them months at a time because I can get return
tickets to Gothenburg, Sweden for about £20 return. They are that cheap.
Once on the continent, you can participate in either Eurrail or Interrail programmes,
depending on the length of your visa. If you are here on a short-term visa, you can
get a Eurrail pass and travel from country to country. Alternatively, if you are here
for the year, you may qualify for the Interrail pass, which is significantly cheaper than
Eurrail.
Travel Websites Here are key travel websites for you to use whilst you are here:
www.megabus.com
www.nationalexpress.com
www.ryanair.com
www.easyjet.com
www.eurail.com
www.interrail.eu
www.eurostar.com
www.kayak.co.uk
www.statravel.co.uk
www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk
www.thetrainline.com
www.stenaline.co.uk