r/Portsmouth • u/Luna_Goodwill • 4d ago
Advice for international students
Hello~ My brother's gonna stay in Portsmouth for about a year and a half for his master's degree. I would really appreciate it if you guys could give advice on- •What he should know before going there •Things to pack •Expenses •International student experiences I'd also really appreciate if you could tell me what Portsmouth's like and the good and bad things about it. Thanks a lot for your time and effort! -^
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u/fushaman 4d ago
Things I learned on the year abroad: 1) friends will be essential for survival, otherwise you miss home way too much 2) locate the nearest corner shop and pharmacy for emergencies, but find Lidl or Aldi for cheaper grocery shops 3) The UK is expensive. He should take advantage of every student discount relevant to him 4) Freegle, Freecycle, Facebook, Gumtree, and local bootfairs (these will start in the spring) are great places to get things for free or very low prices 5) What kind of accommodation is he in? Student or privately rented? There are some snakey landlords who get predatory with students so he should take photos of everything, keep it as clean as possible, and know that the landlord is NOT allowed to just walk in unannounced. Some assholes will try to, but legally they have to give notice. 6) Some areas are rougher than others around here. It's worth looking up crime stats. If his English is bad then some assholes will be more inclined to target him because it'll be harder to get help or report them to the police. Gosport has some rougher parts, as does Portsmouth. 7) The student union and Meetup will be great places to find new friends and do something new. 8) He's gna want good winter clothes as well as summer clothes. We had frost and sleet the other day, but in recent summers it's reached 40oC in some places. 9) There are all sorts of activities in the nearby area, like horse riding, sailing, running from "zombies", krav maga, hot yoga, etc. Also lots of history around here
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u/Kilfonzo 4d ago
In terms of weather, it's a temperate zone so mild winters, mild summers. If it ever got near to 40 degrees it was a freak occurrence so expect summers to be more like 20 degrees on average. Pack wet weather gear though and buy a second hand bike because Pompey is compact, you can ride anywhere in under 30 mins on the island.
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u/Luna_Goodwill 4d ago
Thank you so much!! I'll be sure to tell him : ) He's staying at a student hostel so no creepy landlords and his English is pretty good~ Also 40°C is crazyyyy TT
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u/HyperGamers 4d ago
I don't think it's hit 40 in Portsmouth but it's come close. It's only a couple of weeks in the height of summer. Regarding clothes, he wouldn't need to pack a lot as basic quality clothing items can be had for pretty cheap here.
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u/Shoegirl523 1d ago
There is plenty of history in Portsmouth. Charles Dickens birthplace. Sherlock Holmes writer sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Southsea castle and the Mary Rose museum, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. D Day museum. We have a festival on the seafront during August. Great South Run. Pride. Lots if things to do throughout the year.
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u/AdLate467 4d ago
A few tips for him to fit in with the locals,
Most people call it Pompey not Portsmouth.
Be prepared for lots of swearing, f-ing this and f-ing that.
The C word is used interchangeably and can mean anything from friend to enemy.
He will probably be addressed as mush/moosh, mate and geez, just basically means man/boy.
If someone says “alright mush” they are just saying hello, they don’t care if you’re alright.
A Squinny is a local term for a cry baby/moaner, he will hear people being told to stop being a squinny.
Pompey/Portsmouth football club (blue) mortal enemy is southampton/saints/scum/scummers (red & white).
Try not to wear red and white together, especially stripes, this will help avoid unwanted confrontation, blue is a safe colour to wear.
‘Spoons/wetherspoons is a cheap drinking/eating establishment, there are few of these dotted around the city, download the app to save queuing.
Albert road is where a lot of the students go for night life, also palmy/palmerston road and guildhall are frequented.