From China to the UK: a postgraduate student’s journey to Student Roost

Postgrad student and The Oaks’ resident Zhehui Jin chatted to us about his experience living far from home in student accommodation while studying at the University of Warwick.

In his own words, this is his story so far…

Zhehui Jin’s student story

Name: Zhehui Jin
University: University of Warwick
Studying: Business and Finance
Roost: The Oaks

“I chose The Oaks based on price and because it’s really near the campus.”

I recently moved from Shanghai to Coventry to study my postgraduate course at the University of Warwick. When I was applying for courses in the UK, I [was] recommended various student accommodation options. I could see The Oak’s facilities were good and it has lived up to my expectations.

“For me, a lot of things are exciting because everything is different.”

I live in an en-suite so I met my roommates first. [They’re] all Chinese so I don’t feel far away from home. The kitchen in the en-suite is really big and convenient to use for the five of us, and two people can cook at once which is nice.

The first time I went into my room, everything was clean and tidy which was good. For me, I don’t want to spend a lot of time studying in my room as this is a place to relax, and if I want to study, I like that I can study both at the university or in the study spaces here – I definitely will be using them a lot. The social spaces are great for socialising, especially pool, chess and ping pong but I am a little bit shy so events are good to meet new people.

“The team are really kind.”

Before I arrived to England, I was able to arrange deliveries to property, [which] reception stored. I also had a problem with the hob when I first arrived, but the maintenance team were really kind and fixed it really fast.

“Having all bills included is very good!”

I have a friend in Newcastle who I stayed with before moving here and he rents his own flat. As an international student, I wouldn’t be familiar with council tax [or] paying bills directly, and my friend faced a lot of issues with this as he travels back to China for months at a time so it made it harder for him, especially when English isn’t your first language. His heater sometimes stopped working and it wasn’t always easy to get in touch with the landlord for this. Having 24-hour onsite staff makes this a lot easier too, especially when it comes to deliveries.

“I still feel connected to home.”

There are different time zones with my parents but if I want to have a talk with them or my friends, I can just use my smart phone – as well as living in a flat with other Chinese students.

Before I moved to Coventry, I temporarily lived in Newcastle with some friends and we discovered some scenic spots in the UK and the view is very different from Shanghai. You can see trees and natural beauty which I didn’t get in the big city back at home. The weather is very different here which takes a lot of getting used to!

Looking for accommodation that’s close to the Uni of Warwick or another university city in the UK? View our locations and find out more about moving to the UK for university.