Become a Global Buddies mentor and help new international students settle into life at Brookes

Starting at university can be a challenging time - especially for students who are travelling to a new country.

You can help make this experience a positive and rewarding one for our international students arriving in September by becoming a Global Buddies mentor.

The Global Buddies programme is run by the International Student Advice Team (ISAT) at Brookes and relies on the involvement of current students. Global Buddies mentors volunteer to lead and support a group of new students by sharing tips and experiences about academic and social life at Oxford Brookes.

It’s a great way to make friends from all over the world and learn from international students about their own countries and cultures. You can attend a range of free or discounted organised activities with your buddies, as well as taking advantage of training sessions where you can develop work-related skills for your CV.

For more information and to sign up, go to the Global Buddies webpage. If you have any questions, email the team at global-buddies@brookes.ac.uk.

Here’s what one of the current participants has to say about being a Global Buddies mentor:

Raghd Ibdah

MSc International Business and Marketing Management



“Being a Global Buddies mentor has been a great experience and a lot of fun. I mentor a group of five students from all over the world: India, Japan, Pakistan, Poland and Turkey. They are a mix of undergraduates and postgraduates.

“I am also a faculty rep and a student rep within the Business School, but I wanted to take on a role where I would meet people from outside my own faculty and course. One of the things I have tried to emphasise to my group is that Brookes is a big university and there are lots of opportunities outside their own programme.

“It can be difficult coming here as an international student when you aren’t familiar with the culture and English isn’t your first language. It’s really rewarding to be able to help people settle in. I organised two trips within Oxford: one to the University of Oxford libraries, where I showed the students how to obtain a library card, and another where we went punting. I also meet with my group regularly on Zoom - we talk for hours about our lives and dreams, as well as our studies, because university is about more than just getting a degree. It’s important for new international students to know about all the opportunities that are available to them outside their course to learn new things, develop their skills and prepare for life after graduating.

“It has been a two-way relationship with my group - we have learned from each other and been able to share our cultures and backgrounds. I’d recommend becoming a mentor to anyone. But don’t just do it for your CV - do it because you want to make a difference.”