I still remember my first year at university; leaving my home country, travelling across the seas just to get to Middlesex. This whole process was, itself, nerve-wracking and to make things worse, I got my visa very last –minute, thankfully just in time to attend one of my best experiences at Middlesex - Welcome Month. This month gave me the perfect gist of how my student life would be at Middlesex for the years ahead of me. In all honesty, if I could describe my entire experience of Welcome in few words these would be exciting, fun, and full of life.  

The moment I walked into the Quad I knew this journey was going to be amazing. Back then, of course, I had absolutely no clue what the Quad was, nonetheless Middlesex had student ambassadors and other staff members all across campus ready to help me and others. They provided all the help and support anyone would need, this really made me feel at ease and comforted me. Most importantly, I could already sense the great community this university had built.  

Additionally, there were countless and varied activities throughout this vibrant campus; from joining various student groups, learning (for free) how to ride a bike, to being part of organisations that taught rescuing marine animals to getting free pizza. Moreover, there were fun prop-filled photo booths, plenty of freebies, vouchers, gaming stations, and more.

At that moment in my head, I said to myself, “Fatima, there is no way that you’re going to miss any of these opportunities.” After all, this incredible experience is what I came for and was exactly I could see right ahead of me and all around me. Because of this, I did not let any chance slide by, as being an international student, I knew I had come to grow out of my comfort zone. And who would have thought one year later, I became a Middlesex Student ambassador myself and at Welcome month I stood behind the Freshers Fair stall for Enactus Society signing up new students to help make their journey at Middlesex incredible.

Looking back at this, I will forever cherish the Welcome Months I have attended and am grateful for being blessed to be part of Middlesex. I urge everyone to make use of every facility and opportunity there are, don’t stop yourself.