If you’re reading this, it means you have been accepted to the University of Westminster, so congratulations and a big welcome! You are probably feeling a wide array of emotions, which is completely normal when you are about to experience one of the biggest changes in your life so far. Maybe you are worried about leaving your friends and family back home to move to one of the busiest cities in the world, or you apprehend meeting new people and making friends with people of similar interests to yours.

Luckily for you, this blog will detail how to make the first year of university the best yet, and there’s no better place for that than the University of Westminster, the most internationally diverse university in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand in the Hotcourses Diversity Index.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

            The University of Westminster welcomes and encourages everyone to reach their full potential, regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, maternity and paternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, ethnic or national origins, family circumstances, nationality, political beliefs and affiliations, socio-economic background, or other quality. In 2021, the university set some goals to reach by 2025 which are the following: celebrate diversity, ensure equality, and nurture inclusion. By studying at the University of Westminster, you can rest assured that your wellbeing is a priority.

So how can you meet new people and make this first year your year? With a student body of nearly 20,000 students from 165 countries, 25 sports clubs, and 130 societies, you can be sure that you’ll find clubs geared to your interests with people that share your passions. If you are looking to play sports seriously, our varsity team play competitively against other London universities’ teams, which is a good way to meet people outside of the University of Westminster, but you can also participate in all sports just for fun, without having to compete.

My first year at the University of Westminster started in September 2020 when all classes were online. I joined a few societies that I found interesting and met some wonderful people I keep in contact with four years later, so I cannot recommend joining these communities enough!

EDUCATION & OPPORTUNITIES

Let’s get serious, you came to university to receive a respectable higher education and graduate with a worthy degree to enter the industry of your choice safely and quickly. The University of Westminster is dedicated to providing each and every one of its students the best education and opportunities possible.

The University of Westminster rose to the 28^th place in the 2018 Times Higher Education’s Young University league table lists and placed third in the UK for International Outlook. The University of Westminster offers and encourages its students to take advantage of semesters abroad and placement years to improve their employability. The semesters abroad can bring you to locations like Hawaii, Miami, or even Hong Kong, furthering your knowledge on foreign cultures. As for placement year, which takes place between the second and final year of your degree, you can find a one-year internship or two six months internships. You can also gain experience at the university by volunteering to being course leader, where you are tasked of bridging the connection between your teachers and your classmates, but you can also find a job within the university as a staff member. All these opportunities will not only give you a professional advantage when applying for jobs, as you will learn numerous skills employers are looking for, but they will also teach you a lot of soft skills and open the door to like-minded, as well as completely unique individuals and experience, unlike any you have met or experienced before.

In first and second year of university, I was course leader, which brought me closer to my teachers and classmates alike, broadening my network. In second year, I worked as venues staff on two of our campuses, where I met students from completely different courses from mine, that I would have never met without this opportunity. Before going into my final year, I wanted to do a placement year, so when applying, I used my experience as a course leader and venues staff as leverage to show for my soft and hard skills, and I received an offer from Mattel for a marketing internship. I accepted and the knowledge I gained there was invaluable. I gained first-hand experience and met incredible, inspiring professionals in the field, who have opened my eyes to careers I had no idea about but would now like to pursue myself. I am now completing my final year, but on the side, I have a marketing job at the University of Westminster. I am very happy to be working for an organization that has given me multiple opportunities to prove myself and gain the experience I had been looking for. The University of Westminster wants you to thrive and do your best during your time here, so meet as many people as possible, take all the opportunities offered to you, and have the best year ever!

REFERENCES

Duncan, K. (2016). Press release: introducing the Hotcourses Diversity Index (HDI). Hotcoursesabroad.com. Available from https://www.hotcoursesabroad.com/study-abroad-info/latest-news/press-release-introducing-the-hotcourses-diversity-index-hdi/ [Accessed 2024].

University of Westminster. (2018). Global community | University of Westminster, London. Westminster.ac.uk. Available from https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-university/global-westminster/global-community [Accessed 2024].

University of Westminster. (2021a). Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Strategy. University of Westminster. Available from https://www.westminster.ac.uk/sites/default/public-files/general-documents/Equality-Diversity-and-Inclusion-Policy-and-Strategy.pdf [Accessed 2024].

University of Westminster. (2021b). EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION POLICY. Available from https://www.westminster.ac.uk/sites/default/public-files/general-documents/Equality-diversity-and-inclusion-policy-2023.pdf [Accessed 2024].

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LET’S TALK

Humans are complex, unique creatures, but if there is one thing that is vital to each and every one of our morning routines, it’s getting dressed. Some of us don’t think much of it; mixing patterns and textures, while others are already thinking of what they’re going to wear while in bed the night before. But what is the point of all of this if these clothes fall apart and turn up in landfills?

Attending university will introduce you to countless new people, interests, and opportunities, making it one of the best opportunities to reinvent oneself in many ways, style being an important one, as it is one of the first few things people notice upon first look.

The temptation to create a new persona to detach yourself from your past image can be difficult to resist, especially in London, the fashion capital, along with Paris, Milan, and New York. Walking in London is an experience in itself: anywhere you look, you will see something you’ve never seen before, whether it be a crazy hair colour, a hyper-luxury bag, or jewelry from a cryptic brand.

MY STORY

In 2020, I moved away from my small town in Switzerland to attend the University of Westminster. I was used to seeing people don athleisure daily, in non-neutral colours for the more adventurous ones. Meanwhile, I dyed my hair purple and wore Doc Martens and flared pants, which earned me a lot of weird looks, but I knew this was my style and didn’t want to change it simply because my classmates thought it was weird. That’s also another reason I wanted to move to London: I knew people embraced their personal styles there, and I was excited to be completely myself away from judgment, but things didn’t turn out exactly as I expected them.

The sudden change in environment left me completely discombobulated: everywhere I looked, people were dressed in inimitable, crazy attires, and the problem was I liked them all, even more than the clothes in my own wardrobe. I started questioning myself: did I even like what I was wearing? I came to the conclusion that the only way to find the answer was to try on clothes I wouldn’t usually wear, and that is when my shopping addiction started…

When I lived with my parents, I couldn’t purchase everything I wanted because they would see the shopping bags, but also because the trendy items always made it to Switzerland two to three years late, but in London, the trends started here, and without parental supervision, I could shop at my heart’s (and my bank account’s) content!

Because of COVID, most physical shops were closed, so I resorted to online shopping, something I had never used before, and soon enough, I ended up on Amazon and AliExpress. I was shocked at how low the prices, especially compared to the Swiss prices! Soon enough, I had added over 100 items to my cart, but I had put myself on a £100 limit, so I removed (with difficulty) 80 to 90 items. After waiting two weeks, I started receiving my packages. Already, I was shocked by how much material as used: every package was wrapped in at least 2 plastic covers. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the items, however 50% of the items fit odd: I wouldn’t have purchased them had I been able to try them on prior, unfortunately, the return process is difficult, lengthy, pricey, and in a foreign language, so I resigned to keeping the items in my closet or giving them to friends who liked them.

Fast forward to now, out of 10 to 20 items, I only wear two or three. The rest simply do not resonate with my style. When I look at these clothes, all I see is how dated they are, and how much I tried to fit different aesthetics that weren’t true to me, solely because I had an identity crisis when moving to London and compared my clothes to everybody else around me, because it was the first time in my life I was surrounded by other people who cared about style.

I regret purchasing these clothes because whenever I see them, all I can think of is how much waste was create just for these pieces to collect dust in the back of my closet.

FAST FASHION AND HOW TO BREAK THE CYCLE

The fashion industry is the second-largest polluter globally, and since 2021, major shipping companies have struggled to keep up with growing demands and delivering packages worldwide. The global supply chain will reach its breaking point soon, unless consumers reduce their online shopping expectations. This is unlikely to happen in the UK as it is the country where we buy more clothes per person than anywhere else in Europe.

206 tonnes

of textile waste produced by the UK yearly

3.1 kilograms

of textiles thrown out by each Briton yearly

But there is a solution to breaking free from the shackles of fast fashion and micro trends, while reducing chemical pollution, building your personal style, saving money, and supporting charities: thrift shopping!

With over 4 thousand second-hand stores, there is nowhere better than the UK to shop ethically. A lot of these shops are charities that support causes that fund cancer research, mental health visibility, and animals’ rights.

If you struggle to find good items in thrift/charity shops, you may want to go to vintage stores instead. Their collections are meticulously curated, but everything is still second-hand. Some popular stores are Atika, Rokit, Traid, and Beyond Retro. There are multiple locations all over the UK, and some shops also have online websites.

If you still prefer to shop online rather than physically, there are apps made for you. On Vinted, Depop, eBay, and Reliked not only can you purchase clothes, shoes, and accessories, you can also sell your own! Talk about a circular economy…

If this piqued your interest but you aren’t sure how to start second-hand shopping, check out this article, which features expert thrift shoppers who can give you some tried and true tips!

REFERENCES

Igini, M. (2023). The Environmental Impact of Online Shopping | Earth.org. Earth.org. Available from https://earth.org/online-shopping-and-its-environmental-impact/ [Accessed 2024].

Miller, I. (2022). 10 Influential Thrifters to Follow for Sustainable Fit Inspo – Daybring. Daybring. Available from https://daybring.com/stories/influential-thrifters/ [Accessed 2024].

Moore, D. (2020). UK named fourth largest textile waste producer in Europe. Circular Online. Available from https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/uk-named-fourth-largest-textile-waste-producer-in-europe/#:~:text=Findings%20at%20a%20glance,are%20disposed%20of%20in%20landfills. [Accessed 2024].

Oxfam GB. (2021). New Shocking Facts about the Impact of Fast Fashion on our Climate. Oxfam GB. Available from https://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam-in-action/oxfam-blog/new-shocking-facts-about-the-impact-of-fast-fashion-on-our-climate/#:~:text=11%20fast%20fashion%20facts%20and%20statistics&text=That%20amount%20produces%20nearly%2050,around%20the%20world%20900%20times. [Accessed 2024].

Sabanoglu, T. (2021). Secondhand goods stores in the UK 2021 | Statista. Statista. Available from https://www.statista.com/statistics/295914/number-of-second-hand-goods-stores-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/#:~:text=Over%20the%20time%20period%20observed,increase%20from%20the%20previous%20year. [Accessed 2024].

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