Northeastern’s London campus prepares to welcome more than 1,100 new students
Welcome activities include tours of major London landmarks as well as Husky Fest, which plans to bring the entire student community together.
LONDON — Northeastern University’s London campus is about to burst back to life when more than 1,100 new students begin their tenures as Huskies.
Some students will be embarking on transatlantic flights before reaching their new study destination, while domestic students will be starting a new chapter slightly closer to home.
With classes beginning Monday, Sept. 8, there will be plenty of activities and welcome events to help newbies settle into London life.
Student life manager Kate Raavi, residence life manager Ben Pigott and head of residence services Jess Coverdale spoke to Northeastern Global News about what the new arrivals can expect.
Who is coming to London?
U.S.-enrolled Northeastern students who will study in London for one year, known as “London scholars,” will arrive in the U.K. capital on Monday, Sept. 1, and Tuesday, Sept. 2.
As many as 300 domestic students are also expected to start their freshman year at the same time. Another 50 students taking part in the Semester In program, where U.S.-based students spend a term studying on the London campus, will also enroll in the fall.
How will they get to campus?
Group flights will depart from a host of major U.S. cities, including Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Northeastern staff will be at Heathrow Airport to assist those students on the group flights, as well as those arriving independently at the same time, in locating the baggage transfer point and advising them on how to make their way to their residence halls in east London via public transport.
“If students have signed up to the luggage transfer,” Coverdale says, “they are able to drop the suitcases with our team and their luggage will be transferred for them to their residence hall.”
Accommodations
There are four Northeastern-partnered accommodation blocks situated in east London, all within a short distance of the two main campus buildings, Devon House at St Katherine Dock and One Portsoken in Aldgate.
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The four accommodation halls are: Chapter Spitalfields, Chapter Aldgate, Unite Students’ Hayloft Point in Aldgate and Scape Shoreditch. The majority of U.K. domestic students will reside in Chapter Spitalfields. Northeastern has live-in staff based at all four buildings, with someone on duty 24/7.
The residence life team will be available to help new arrivals get acclimated to the neighborhood and give out directions to such places as the nearest IKEA.
“We tend to do tours of the local area to get students acquainted with where the pharmacist is, where the closest grocery shops are,” says Pigott, “so that they have a really good understanding of where the building is situated in terms of amenities.”
Welcome week
Induction and welcome activities take place from Sept. 1-12, helping students get to know the city and the university. “Welcome week” involves a number of optional events, including bus and boat tours of London, trips to the theater and the London Eye, along with guided experiences around a host of London landmarks, including Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge.
There are also academic introductions on Friday, Sept. 5, that will give students an opportunity to meet academic advisers and classmates, take part in degree-related workshops and engage with members of the Student Union and other student-run organizations before classes commence on Sept. 8.
Parents traveling with their children from the U.S. will be able to join a reception on Sept. 1 and 2 at Devon House. “It is a chance for them to connect with other parents and to meet some of the Global Experience Office staff in Boston who they may have been liaising with,” says Raavi. “It is also a nice chance for them to see campus and get a sense of where their child’s studying and to hear more about their program.”
Convocation, a welcoming ceremony for all first-year students, will take place on Thursday, Sept. 4, at O2 Indigo in North Greenwich. Community-building activities will take place afterward.
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, all students at Northeastern in London are invited to Husky Fest, an event that turns the docks area near Devon House into a parade ground featuring a stage, food vans, lemonade stands, photo booths and other activities. The university’s societies fair will take place at the same time.
Where to eat on campus
For those looking for a bit of nourishment while on the St Katherine Dock part of campus, Coverdale recommends two spots for a decent lunch and view of the water.
“There is St Katherine Dock Cafe, which makes excellent sandwiches,” she says. “And then there is White Mulberries — that is always popular with students. You can get something a bit different there.
“When the weather is nice, it is great to sit out in front of both of those places and just take in the environment we are in because I have worked for Northeastern in London for four years and I still cannot get over how beautiful our location is.”
Tips for moving
As much as students coming from overseas may want to try to stuff every corner of their luggage with homely possessions, Pigott suggests making sure to leave a bit of space.
“The piece of advice that I like to give students is that it might be tempting to fill all of your suitcases — but leave some room for souvenirs that you are going to want to bring back,” he says.
Bedding and kitchen packs will be waiting for students living in partnered accommodations.
A kitchen pack includes: two boiling pans, a frying pan, basic utensils, kitchen knives, a chopping block, plates, a bowl, a mug, a glass and cutlery.
Pigott adds: “We like to say that we provide pretty much everything that they might need for their first day here, barring a towel. But everything else, we’ve pretty much got it covered.”
