Over 50 new international students met with Birkbeck alumni at the International Alumni Friendship Scheme reception on Friday 4 October.

Birkbeck offers a buddy scheme for new international students whereby they can meet with successful alumni who can offer invaluable advice to the new cohort. Starting university can be a daunting challenge for anyone. Starting a university in a foreign country, however, poses many other difficult challenges that can seem overwhelming at first. Many of the international students who attended the reception have been in the UK for less than a fortnight, making the pairing up of students with Birkbeck alumni vital in enabling the new international cohort to settle into their new life in London.

Tricia King, Pro-Vice-Master for Student Experience and Director of External Relations at Birkbeck, gave a warm welcome to the new students, highlighting the world-class teaching that the College provides. She also spoke of the opportunities that graduating from Birkbeck can lead to, stating: “We are an institution that continues to be in the top one percent of the world’s universities and our graduates have the highest graduate starting salaries of any university in the UK.”

Students asked a wide variety of questions to Birkbeck alumni – anything from general course enquiries and advice about future careers to what actually is an Oyster Card! The evening is only the start of these new friendships; alumni and students will continue to meet up over the coming months to help students settle into Birkbeck and London life.