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Let's get started
Congratulations on joining us. We're excited to welcome you to our university.
You'll find everything you need here to get started on your course, make friends and have a great student experience. But before doing anything else, make sure you've registered as a student and joined the University.
Welcome Festival and Freshers' Fayre
![Global Jubilee celebrations](/sites/default/files/styles/statement_mobile/public/media/images/JPEG%20Original%20Size-HY_UoP_JUBILEE_EVENT_049.jpg?itok=m1ZEgu-D)
- International Orientation Week – Monday 16 September to Sunday 22 September
- Welcome Festival on moving-in weekend – Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September
- Freshers' Fayre (in-person and virtual) – Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 September
- Give Me Sport – Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 September
- Other welcome events – from 23 September
The important stuff
Settling into Portsmouth
Course timetables (induction and teaching) – your induction timetable (published on 26 August) and your teaching timetable (published on 9 September) will both be on your Student View
Meet new student online – join our Discord chat group
Student Card – to access your classes, university buildings and more
Key dates – term dates and breaks
University terminology – university words and phrases you will hear a lot over the coming months
Campus map – find your way around campus
University buses - hop on our buses to and from campus, or try these walking and cycling routes
MyPort Hub – your first port of call for any questions on university life including our Student Support Services
Register for a doctor – for UK students
Healthcare in the UK – for international students
Essential shops – groceries and other essential items, including ingredients from around the world
Places to eat – independent cafes, restaurants and places to meet friends
Beaches, piers and parks – get to know our outdoor spaces
Community groups – Portsmouth has a good range of diverse communities and group
Students' Union benefits
![6th February 2019; Feel Good Festival](/sites/default/files/styles/statement_mobile/public/media/images/JPEG%20Original%20Size-HY_UoP_FEEL_GOOD_FEST_044.jpg?itok=I_Z4DsIa)
- Student groups – over 100 groups to choose from including Disney, Gaming, and Swifties, and cultural and religious groups such as Afro-Caribbean, Bengali, Brazilian, Greek and Cypriot, and Japanese
- Events – like virtual and in-person Freshers' Fayre
- Offers – regular student offers in the Union Shop where you can buy your Uni hoodies
- Advice Service – free and impartial advice
- Elected Officers – the right to vote who runs your Students' Union
- Have Your Say – access to the platform which shapes your University experience
Extra support
Jump into studying
Attendance – students are expected to attend all teaching sessions
Virtual learning environment – online learning materials and activities on Moodle
Library – the central space for study, research and learning support
IT Services – Wifi, VPN, Google Apps and remote resources
Top tips for first years | Starting uni
My number one essential item would have to be some way of making notes in your lectures and seminars.
My personal one would be, take an extension lead because you never know where your plugs are going to be.
I would say decorations for my room, like fairy lights can change your whole room!
In order to make my room cosy and to feel more at home, I brought a lot of printed photos with me of friends and family.
The one best thing about living in Portsmouth is the seaside.
It's such a safe option to say the beach but it is true!
It is true.
You can just easily go to the beach during your study break or in the evenings with your friends.
I love that the university buildings are kind of amongst the city, so you feel part of the life here in Portsmouth.
I'm a big history fan, so there's all the museums down on the beach front.
The D-Day Museum and then you've got the dockyards where they've got the Mary Rose Museum.
There is also a really nice park behind the Guildhall.
You can do stuff like little study sessions get the most sun and stuff, and it's really like wholesome.
The first thing you should do when you get to university is collect your student card, hop on to the bus and go for a city tour to explore the city.
And the most important thing is go Freshers' Fayre to get free food!
The Freshers' Fayre is an opportunity for you to check out lots of different stalls and you might even get some freebies.
Last year I got some free pizza, which was just beautiful.
Definitely check out the Freshers' Fayre at the Students' Union because you can get to know all of the societies that you could join.
It's a really good way to meet other new students joining as well as start to find a way around the University before the lectures start.
So you don't just thrown straight into the deep end and can't find anything.
I joined a lot of different group chats before coming to university, such as once my accommodation, once my course as well as just kind of general university group chats.
In Freshers' week with those trials and Give Me Sport where you can try all the different sports societies.
I joined Hockey and I've made so many friends and had such a great experience in first year because of it.
My closest friends personally were my flatmates and a I really got close with my coursemates as well.
But I know for other people it was joining societies, meeting people in literally the most random way sometimes.
One of my really good friends at university is the first person I sat next to, and that is only because we got talking and introduced ourselves, found out a bit more about each other.
So yeah, just be bold and get talking to people.
Towards the Christmas season, I started feeling a bit homesick because I was missing some of the traditions from home.
I either called friends or family from home, or I started recreating traditions from home with my new friends at university.
So that made me feel a lot better.
I think at these times, it's really important to remember there's always family and friends you can call or go see if you are really struggling.
The Student Wellbeing Service is always available if you need to chat.
I think it's really important to make use of all of these to really help with the homesickness.
Remember, everyone is in the same boat.
Everyone's starting a new place.
Everyone's nervous.
Make the most of that kind of time before university properly starts, where you're kind of introduced to university life.
This is a thing that I wish that I was told is that when you first move to uni, likely it will be on a massive high.
You're meeting all these new people, it's an exciting experience, but I think quite quick into that there is also a low with it.
The truth is that it's just what you need is like everyone.
It's literally just adjusting.
So I think just knowing that that is a normal thing to experience, actually a healthy thing as well, just like processing your surroundings as well.
But it is an amazing experience overall.