1As I said earlier,
2there is, I think, at Rexford, an excellent combination of physical and geographical advantages -
3as well as having a rural setting and still being close to central London,
4something that will certainly be of interest to you
5is that Rexford is just 35 minutes from London Airport.
6At Rexford we have a strong research capability.
7We came 7th out of 101 universities in last year's research assessment,
8carried out by a government body
9and did particularly well in your particular subjects, engineering and science.
10Actually we got a top research grade of five for engineering, geography and computer sciences.
11One further point - and I know from talking to you individually
12that a number of you may be looking for some experience in industry after the course -
13is that all our science and engineering research departments
14have unusually close relationships with industry in the area.
15Anyway, that's enough sales talk from me...
16I'll just take a sip of this coffee that's just arrived, thank you,
17and then I'll say something about what actually happens when you apply.
18Right... Now if you do decide to make an application,
19what you do is send it directly to me in my department.
20I will then immediately send confirmation and the application process begins.
21I'd like to say at this point that you shouldn't worry if this process doesn't work all that quickly -
22I mean occasionally there are postal problems,
23but most often, the hold-up is caused by references -
24the people you give as referees,
25shall we say, take their time to reply.
26Anyway, it's absolutely normal for this process to take three to four months.
27What I do in this period is keep in touch with you
28and reassure you that things are moving along.
29One of the ways we've devised to help you decide about applying
30as well as later when you've been accepted... hopefully...
31is to put you in contact with, if possible, a student from your own country
32who is at present studying with us.
33What you can do is phone them up -
34we will, of course, liaise between you
35and discuss your concerns with them.
36That way you can get an objective opinion of what you can expect
37if you come to live and study at Rexford -
38not only the academic atmosphere
39but important details like what the leisure facilities are like
40and whether the English weather and food are really as awful as everybody says!
41If you decide you can face it,
42the contact can also help you just before you leave,
43with tips on what to pack and that sort of thing.
44At the moment I think we've got two second-year students
45and one postgraduate from this country.
46Now to move on to the other concerns you expressed earlier.
47At a UK university - as I'm sure you know -
48you will be in an environment where independent learning is the norm,
49which takes most students a while to adjust to,
50and at a time when you will be separated from your normal surroundings
51and, in most cases, your family.
52This can be a difficult time.
53But remember that something like 25% of our student body
54are international students like yourselves,
55and that there are several organisations in the university and city
56whose main purpose is to offer help
57and ensure that your time with us is enjoyable and useful.
58One or two of you touched on the subject of accommodation earlier.
59So I'll just add a few points:
60it is the University's policy to give priority in the allocation of residence places to three categories,
61and those are: visiting students, exchange students and new postgraduate students.
62However, demand exceeds supply,
63so there is still a need to put your name down early for campus accommodation,
64particularly if your family is accompanying you.
65This means that the earlier you decide whether you want to study with us...
66and so get the procedure moving, the better it will be for everybody.
67Erm... Yes?
68What if you would prefer to live outside the university?
69If you're planning to live off-campus, you've got to sort things out even earlier.
70As with everything in short supply,
71the good accommodation gets snapped up months before the beginning of term -
72in other words, if you're starting in October,
73you need to be thinking about it in June or at the very latest July,
74So you do need to think very carefully about what you need,
75how much you can afford to pay, well in advance.
76What you can't do is leave it until a few days before the start of term.
77The agencies in town are pretty good -
78it's just a matter of contacting them in good time.
79Of course, we have a full-time accommodation officer available to help all students.
80She'll get in touch with you when you're accepted -
81she's got plenty of contacts in the town and will deal with the agencies on your behalf.
82One or two of you asked me earlier about your level of spoken English.
83Obviously most of you have already achieved a lot -
84I wish I could speak your language half as well.
85Having said that though,
86I'm afraid the lecturers will make little or no allowance for the presence of non-native speakers in the audience.
87So, anything you can do to improve your spoken English -
88even beyond the pretty high levels most of you have already reached -
89will help make your stay with us that bit more fun for you.
90Some extra practice before you arrive is worth more than...
91for example private lessons afterwards, when you won't really have time.
92Oh... and one last thing before I invite further questions:
93it's very important...