{"id":31391,"date":"2018-03-15T15:46:06","date_gmt":"2018-03-15T15:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?p=31391"},"modified":"2018-03-15T15:46:06","modified_gmt":"2018-03-15T15:46:06","slug":"loneliness-foreign-students-uk-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/politics-social-justice\/loneliness-foreign-students-uk-university","title":{"rendered":"Is loneliness an issue for foreign students?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Creating a social life in a new country is something that always takes time. How do foreign students cope in one of the loneliest countries in Europe?<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31751\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31751\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-31751 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/20934002_1910545565871483_1496560293316156204_o.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness UK University Students\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/20934002_1910545565871483_1496560293316156204_o.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/20934002_1910545565871483_1496560293316156204_o-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/20934002_1910545565871483_1496560293316156204_o-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31751\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31751 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/20934002_1910545565871483_1496560293316156204_o.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness UK University Students\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/20934002_1910545565871483_1496560293316156204_o.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/20934002_1910545565871483_1496560293316156204_o-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/20934002_1910545565871483_1496560293316156204_o-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript> Chris says that he found it difficult to make friends at university.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When he arrived in Nottingham, to study Mathematics in 2013, Chris felt \u201cfree and ready to meet people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, he soon discovered that having a social life was not as easy as he had imagined.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLoneliness started because of my long working hours. I had to sacrifice my social life, otherwise I wouldn\u2019t meet my work targets. I was working every day from nine to five. I went home after school, cooked and then I had to study. I didn\u2019t even think that it would be possible for me to go out with someone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSocial life just didn\u2019t exist. It felt like it was the same day, every day. I was depressed, I didn\u2019t want to move. I was lost in my head, I felt that I only lived mentally, not physically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/peoplepopulationandcommunity\/wellbeing\/articles\/lonelinesswhatcharacteristicsandcircumstancesareassociatedwithfeelinglonely\/2018-04-10\">Office for National Statistics survey<\/a>, Britain ranks\u00a026th out of 28 EU countries by the proportion of the population who say they have someone they could rely on if they have a serious problem.<\/p>\n<p>Over 9 million adults in the UK are either always or often lonely. Among the groups which are deemed to be more at risk are people aged 17 to 25.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31483\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31483\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31483\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Tracey-Couch.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness students uk\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Tracey-Couch.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Tracey-Couch-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Tracey-Couch-500x281.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31483\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31483\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Tracey-Couch.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness students uk\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Tracey-Couch.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Tracey-Couch-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Tracey-Couch-500x281.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript> Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Sport and Civil Society, Tracey Couch was appointed as &#8216;Minister of Loneliness in January&#8217; &#8211; via <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tracey_Crouch#\/media\/File:Official_portrait_of_Tracey_Crouch_crop_2.jpg\">wikimedia commons<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cLife transitions such as entering university and moving from your home country can be key triggers for loneliness, on par with experiencing a divorce or retirement,\u201d says Paul Farmer, CEO of the mental health charity, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mind.org.uk\">Mind<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlthough loneliness can affect anyone and has no single cause, the link to identity is common and crucial. It means major life events which change someone\u2019s sense of self and their ability to connect with other people should be seen as moments of particular risk,\u201d Mr. Farmer added.<\/p>\n<p>According to Daisy Leach of the Student Support and Wellbeing office of Cardiff University, loneliness in higher education is much more common than people think.<\/p>\n<p>Moving away from home, exam stress, deadlines, financial stress and worries about the future are high-risk factors for loneliness and depression.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31538\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31538\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-31538 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/nightline.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness University UK Students\" width=\"650\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/nightline.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/nightline-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/nightline-500x252.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31538\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31538 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/nightline.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness University UK Students\" width=\"650\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/nightline.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/nightline-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/nightline-500x252.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript> Cardiff Nightline is student run charity that offers emotional support and advice to students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Chris admits that the difficulty of integrating into a new environment and culture was one of the most important reasons that made him feel socially isolated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was my fault because I didn\u2019t want to assimilate in the environment of my class. I went out a couple of times with my classmates, but I realized that we didn\u2019t have anything in common, so I stopped trying.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2016\/oct\/12\/neoliberalism-creating-loneliness-wrenching-society-apart\">Evidence suggests that\u00a0<\/a>loneliness is associated with increased risk of dying, sleep problems, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, increased risk of dementia and depression.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLoneliness certainly affected my depression. The fact that I spent too much time alone, in a very unhealthy mental state was detrimental. When you have very negative thoughts in your mind for a long time, and every day is worse, and every day you give up more the will to live and get out of bed, if you don\u2019t have someone there \u2013 not a friend, just a person to just exist in the house, to even have a silly conversation with \u2013 it affects your depression a lot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI stopped working out, I didn\u2019t eat well, I showered less often. I woke up at noon, I fell asleep at dawn and the only thing I ate during that whole time was five biscuits. When you sink too much into depression, having friends is not enough, there you need professional help. But during the build-up to that point, if you had someone, it would help prevent it,\u201d Chris says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31657\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31657\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-31657 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/chris2.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness UK University Students\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/chris2.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/chris2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/chris2-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31657\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31657 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/chris2.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness UK University Students\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/chris2.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/chris2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/chris2-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript> Chris is now working in Nottingham after having completed an MSc in Computational Mathematics at the University of Derby.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Xenios, also from Cyprus, moved to the UK in 2013 after a two-year military service. He completed his degree in Medical Physics last June.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was very difficult for me to integrate in the academic environment because I came from a very different one. That of the army. Also, the culture was very different and I didn\u2019t know anyone from my country there. Maybe if I knew someone from my country, I would be more confident to open up to other people. I didn\u2019t have that, so it was difficult for me to go alone and try to meet people,\u201d Xenios says.<\/p>\n<p>It took Xenios two and a half years to build a social life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel that it shouldn\u2019t take so long for someone like me to create a social life. I found myself being desperate to make friends. If I saw someone who I wanted to hang out with, I was desperate to initiate this friendship and this came out as needy.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31495\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31495\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-31495 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-1-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-1-500x281.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31495\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31495 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-1.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-1-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-1-500x281.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript> Xenios, 24, from Cyprus, was studying at Nottingham University until last June.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Xenios and Chris admit that one of the things that separated them from other students was their ideas about entertainment. Like many people they found Britain\u2019s drinking culture a bit too much.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany times, this pushed me away from people. For example, I might have wanted to go to a psychedelic rock night and my \u2018potential\u2019 friends wanted to go out and get wasted. We had very different perceptions on how to have fun on Friday and Saturday nights,\u201d Chris says.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that he didn\u2019t follow this drinking culture made him feel alienated and that he was being looked down upon by other people for not being \u2018cool\u2019 enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was fed up with the drinking culture in the UK. It felt like it was the only thing people did to have fun. So, I stopped going out. Where would you go? To another pub?\u201d Xenios adds.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31524\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31524\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-31524 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness UK students university\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31524\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31524 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree.jpg\" alt=\"Loneliness UK students university\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Xenios-Degree-500x282.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/noscript> Xenios got his MSc in Medical Physics last June.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Both students also say that they experienced racism. This made their efforts to assimilate into a new environment more difficult as they felt isolated and unwanted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne day, during the Brexit campaign I was waiting at the bus stop to go to university, and a guy with military pants and an English Defence League shirt stared me down,\u201d Xenios says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhenever I wore a suit, people\u2019s perception about me changed. A girl from my tutorial group once saw me and said \u201cWow, you have a smart jacket, I didn\u2019t expect that from you\u201d. Another time, I saw one of my classmates at a classical music concert and he said \u201cOh, I didn\u2019t know you were cultured,\u201d Xenios adds.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, a student at Nottingham Trent University,\u00a0Rufaro Chisango, fell victim or racist abuse in her university halls. The incident, which she filmed, made headlines in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/nottingham-trent-student-racially-abused-in-we-hate-the-blacks-video-11280710\">British news<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">yoo I\u2019m fuming, the way people in the same uni halls as me are chanting \u201cwe hate the blacks\u201d outside my bedroom door. Words cannot describe how sad this makes me feel, in this 2018 people think this is still acceptable? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XUiYqNIWQT\">pic.twitter.com\/XUiYqNIWQT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ruu (@rufarochisango_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rufarochisango_\/status\/971452205181161472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 7, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Like Xenios, Rufaro and many other students, racism was an issue that Chris had to deal as well while trying to settle into his new life. This made him feel that he was not welcome to Britain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was on the bus, trying to go somewhere. I had my guitar with me and a man said something to me. I didn\u2019t hear well so I said \u2018I don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re saying. He replied, \u2018you don\u2019t understand?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs I turned to look at him he spat on my guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>What to do if you feel lonely at University:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although you might think that everyone else is out having fun, they&#8217;re probably doing exactly the same thing as you, sitting under a blanket refreshing Facebook. Even if you are shy, remember your peers are often in the same situation and appreciate you talking to them. Perhaps you could try to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Say hello to someone before and after each lecture. This will help build a relationship between the two of you.<\/li>\n<li>Join a society. Clubs or societies\u00a0can be a great way to get to know people and create a work-life balance. See what&#8217;s on offer at the fresher&#8217;s fair or, if you missed it, you can find out from your Students&#8217; Union at any time.<\/li>\n<li>Volunteering\u00a0can help you meet people who share an interest with you. Your Students&#8217; Union may be able to help you do this. Alternatively,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/do-it.org\">Do-it.org<\/a>\u00a0has lots of helpful information.<\/li>\n<li>Nightline is a confidential listening and emotional support student service for you to call. Most British universities run their own nightlines. Try and call them if you feel that your negative emotions are becoming too much.<\/li>\n<li>Book an appointment with your school\u2019s counselling and well-being services. Cardiff University offers daily walk-in services as well as appointments that you can pre-book. Find more information <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cardiff.ac.uk\/study\/student-life\/student-support\/counselling-and-wellbeing\">here.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-32930 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/info-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"3172\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-32930 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/info-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"3172\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do foreign students cope with loneliness while studying in the UK? Two students tell us their experiences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":477,"featured_media":31534,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"coauthors":[718],"class_list":["post-31391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-social-justice"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Is loneliness an issue for foreign students? - InterCardiff<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Creating a social life in a new country is always something that takes time. 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How do foreign students in the UK cope with loneliness?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/politics-social-justice\/loneliness-foreign-students-uk-university\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"InterCardiff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-15T15:46:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Chris-Featured.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"950\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"534\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stelios Marathovouniotis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stelios Marathovouniotis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/politics-social-justice\/loneliness-foreign-students-uk-university\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/politics-social-justice\/loneliness-foreign-students-uk-university\",\"name\":\"Is loneliness an issue for foreign students? - InterCardiff\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/politics-social-justice\/loneliness-foreign-students-uk-university#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/politics-social-justice\/loneliness-foreign-students-uk-university#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/03\/Chris-Featured.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-15T15:46:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/#\/schema\/person\/743bd9c27fffb767599c369ff65af91c\"},\"description\":\"Creating a social life in a new country is always something that takes time. 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