As easy as one, two, three

Supportive environment

“York runs various collaborations, supporting students from all backgrounds. I’ve been working with one of these: Aspire Together. This programme works with South Asian families in the UK to help them make informed choices about higher education. For example, choosing which subject to study can cause conflict within families. Aspire Together helps explain to parents the different academic routes and the opportunities they provide.

"One of my roles is to give families tours of York and answer their questions. Students often ask me if they can continue their traditions at university, or if there will be Halal food available. The answer is yes! There are loads of options on campus and in the city.

"I’ve had the chance to feed back to the University, participating in a focus group where we discussed what is lacking for South Asian families accessing education in the UK. It’s important to listen to student stories and parental concerns to learn what needs to improve."

Exciting opportunities 

"I’m a final-year Business and Management student. My course gives me a broad scope of opportunities to try new things and gain the skills I need for the future. 

"During a recent module, I developed an exciting business idea: working with retailers to reduce food waste. By collaborating with retailers and soup kitchens, I was able to help use up food that was going spare. This encouraged the retailers to improve their sustainability while helping the local community.

"My course has done a great job of making sure that what we learn doesn’t get left in the classroom. I’ve been able to apply new skills to benefit society while building up my CV at the same time."

Welcoming spaces

"I chose to study at York because of its international community. There are students here from over 150 different countries around the world. York is also rated one of the safest cities in the UK, which was important to me and my family.

"During the first weeks of university, every student I met felt homesick at some point, but York provided me with an open and friendly space to help me adjust to student life. I’m now trying to do my bit to bring people together in my role as the President of the Tamil and Malayali Society. We recently held a joint Diwali Ball with the Hindu Society. Even the Vice Chancellor came along and joined in with our games!

"My advice to future students is to be yourself. Don’t change yourself to fit into a place. At York, you will always find people who accept you the way you are."