Welcome to Nottingham, your new home away from home.
Whether you are coming from nearby or have travelled across the world, Nottingham is an amazing place to begin your next chapter as one of the top student cities in the UK. However, we know that moving to a new city can be overwhelming, so we've put together our best advice to help you settle in.
How to settle in:
- Spend some time exploring your new area and become familiar with the city, it is a good idea to check out the route to your university from your accommodation as in case you need to use public transport.
- Get to know your flatmates early, this will make living together much more harmonious. Plus, it's a great way to make friends from day one.
- Go to Freshers Week! Take advantage of the many events taking place during Freshers, it's another way to meet new people. Freshers Week is also a good time to push yourself out of your comfort zone, don't be afraid to say yes to things you wouldn't usually do.
- Sign up to societies and sports teams to find people with similar interests (the society fair usually takes place in Freshers Week).
- Have fun but don't spend all your money at once, give yourself a budget for Freshers Week.
- Remember, it is normal to feel homesick and miss your family and friends, keep in touch and try to stay busy until you are more settled in.
How Unipol can help:
Unipol has the answers to all your housing questions.
We offer free housing advice and have multiple articles on our website breaking down the new Renters' Rights Act. We’re also here to help resolve housing issues, don't be afraid to use our app to report any repairs in your accommodation. For any tenants having any wellbeing and support issues, including problems relating to your accommodation and co-tenants, you can reach out to your Housing Manager or the Wellbeing and Support Coordinator. The universities also provide a range of support. For more information and to get in touch with us, check out this page.
When it is time to start house hunting, we can help you find your next student home whether that’s staying in halls or moving to houses, we have so many options to offer. We also can help in many other ways such as checking your contract and showing you accredited properties. However you don’t need to worry about looking for housing just yet, our advice is to not rush into anything and gather all the information you can first. Keep an eye on our social media pages where we will provide top tips and tricks about house hunting, including when you should start looking.
What to do in Nottingham:
If you want to do a bit of shopping, Nottingham has plenty of independent stores offering unique and vintage finds, many of these can be found in the popular Hockley area. You should also visit White Rose, a charity shop founded by two Nottingham Trent University graduates, they have multiple locations across the city. If you are looking for high street favourites, you will find brands such as Primark and Urban Outfitters in the city centre.
There are lots of fantastic places to eat and drink around the city, one popular cafe is 200 Degrees Coffee, this could be a great spot to spend some time with your new flatmates whilst exploring the area.
For those who enjoy the outdoors, Nottingham is home to many stunning green spaces. At Wollaton Hall you can spot free-roaming deer around the park making it popular among students. Both universities also have gardens and parks close to campus, providing the perfect place to hangout in between lectures.
Staying safe in Nottingham:
Use apps such as WalkSafe and Life360 so that friends or family can have your location. Avoid walking by yourself when it's dark and late at night and stick to main, busy roads. Also check what your University offers, there are a lot of safety initiatives in place for students. It is important to take safety precautions but don't let this put you off going out.
Don't forget to follow our social media, @unipolhousing, for student tips, tricks, and advice.