To be hundreds, maybe thousands of miles away from home and to not know anyone is quite a difficult situation to be in, but to have to figure out university life on top of that could easily become really frustrating. That’s why the we’ve put this page together: to gather useful information and links into one place, to try and make the transition to Glasgow as easy as possible. Hopefully you’ll find it all useful!
Looking for Accommodation?
- ‘News and Views’ Newsagent, 104 Byres Road – bright orange window-framed little shop with friendly owners and lots of advertisements in the windows for flats in the West End. New flat ads go up at 4pm every weekday.
- Gumtree.com – Students often post last-minute ads for flatmates on this site, but I always advise that you don’t go alone to a flat viewing, for safety reasons. You can also find jobs and all sorts of fun things on this site!
- Glasgow University Residential Services , 73 Great George Street – This is right on Campus, so go and speak to someone there to see about getting into Uni accommodation; or try their website, here.
Where to buy…
Umbrellas – You’ll get through a few (hundred) of these in your time at Glasgow, so
here are a couple of places you can buy them cheaply:
- ‘SportsDirect’ (big one for £3; little one for £2) – 83-97 Sauchiehall Street. This shop is right in the centre of town, and has lots of good quality ‘outdoor’ items.
- ‘Primark’ – 177 Sauchiehall Street. Once again, in the centre of town and has a huge range of low-price items, including bedding and crockery.
See also (on the same street): T.K. Maxx, Poundland.
(Warm) Clothing at low cost – ‘Charity shopping’ has become quite popular in recent years – mainly because you can find good quality clothes, accessories and furniture at low prices, and because the money you spend on these items goes to charities which raise money for some great local and international work. Win-win situation! So here’s a list that Yasmin has made to help you save some pennies and put your cash to better use:
- Oxfam Book Shop, Byres Road - Great for: Books! Known to stock textbooks so check here before buying them new.
- Salvation Army, 91 Dumbarton Road - Great for: This one’s an all-rounder but it’s particularly good for furniture – tables for £20, armchairs for £5! You have to transport them yourself though ;D
- Handbags and Gladrags, 158 Dumbarton Road - Great for: Women’s clothes. Technically not a charity shop but cheap and high-quality items; some designer labels.
- St Margaret’s of Scotland Hospice, 154 Dumbarton Road - Great for: Men’s clothes and shoes. Particularly good for suits.
- Oxfam Music, 171 Byres Road - Great for: Music. This place seriously rivals HMV and has some really rare CDs and vinyls.
- Ryman’s Stationary, 211 Byres Road - Great for: books, pens, printers etc. Again, not a charity shop but seriously good value.
- British Heart Foundation, 217 Byres Road - Great for: Women’s clothes and really pretty jewelery. Also sell laptop bags, rather bizarrely…
- Oxfam DIY, 231 Byres Road - Great for: crockery and toiletries, bio-friendly shampoo, body-wash etc.
- Cancer Research, 315 Byres Road - Great for: Glass wear, cards, cute gift sets (forgotten birthdays, anyone?!) Also sells second-hand cameras for around £30.
For more Retro and Vintage stores in Glasgow try this website.
Also: for cheap food, try The Farm Shop on Byres Road for basics such as milk and eggs; An Noor on Great Western Road for spices and pulses; you will also find many other Pakistani, Middle Eastern, Afro-Caribbean food stores on this street. There’s a Halal butcher there too.
How to…
Take a book out of the library: a simple but potentially embarrassing task for some. If you need a hand just text Ruthi (07989063808) or Hikmat (07718987960) to fix a time for a lesson! :-D
International Cafés in Glasgow
There’s a lot going on in Glasgow for international students: opportunities to meet people from all over the world (as well as local residents) in a really fun, chilled out cafe environment – intended to welcome people to the city and enable friendships to be made and stories exchanged! A number of these cafes are run by local churches and are well worth a visit. You might not like the idea of going into a church, but whether or not you’re interested in Christianity; if you want nothing more than a chat with new people over coffee and biscuits, you should definitely come along! You’ll be very welcome.
- St George’s Tron Church – Social and Cultural Events, FREE English Classes and Bible Studies all available.
- Sandyford Henderson Memorial Church – Cafes on Wednesdays and Sundays
- St Silas Episcopal Church – Cafes on Tuesdays, ‘Alpha Courses’ and special Christmas time events.
Churches in Glasgow
If you’re looking for a church to go to, check out this page for a massive list of all of them. Contact details included!
Weekly International Banter!
In addition to everything you’ve found on this page, there is also weekly banter with events posted regularly on this website and on Facebook!
What Did He Just Say?
Just had a conversation where you haven’t understood a word? Simply been listening to someone and struggled to work out if it was actually english? Or simply confused by the Scots variations of words? Here is our simpleSurvival Guide to the Scots dialect with a few words and phrases and a lovely short summary of how it came about.
