Student Life and Extracurricular Activities – B2 English Listening Exercise

9 student centre 10 heating 11 quiet hours 12 cleaning schedule

13 network password 14 replacement fee 15 table tennis

16 movie night 17 written agreement 18 deposit

Mark: Hello everyone, and welcome to your first year at university! My name is Mark, and I’m the head accommodation officer here. My job is to make sure your transition into student housing goes as smoothly as possible. Now, when students need help or have a grievance, they usually wander over to the main administrative building hoping to find us. But actually, you can find my team located inside the student centre, which is right in the heart of the campus and much more convenient for you to drop by.

Now, regarding your rooms, occasionally things will need repairing. I know that a flickering light bulb or a squeaky door hinge can be annoying, but you can usually fix those minor things yourself or wait a few days. However, if you experience a problem with your heating, you must inform the maintenance team immediately via the online portal. They prioritise those specific requests over everything else, especially as we head into the winter months.

Living closely with others means you really need to be mindful of noise. We naturally recommend heading to the library if you want absolute silence during the daytime. Having said that, during the busy exam period, we enforce strict quiet hours in all dormitories from 10 PM onwards. This ensures everyone gets the rest they need to perform at their best.

Let’s talk about the communal kitchens, which can be a tricky area. It’s incredibly easy to leave a mess after cooking a late-night meal. Some private halls employ a weekly cleaner to mop the floors, but unfortunately, we don’t have the budget to offer that service everywhere. Instead, we require every flat to create a cleaning schedule for all residents to follow. We’ve found it’s the fairest and most effective way to maintain hygiene.

Moving on to IT, I know connectivity is vital for both your studies and keeping in touch with home. A lot of freshers struggle to log in using their student ID number at first, assuming that’s the credential they need. In reality, you need to enter your network password to access the high-speed Wi-Fi in your room. If you happen to forget it, the IT helpdesk can quickly reset it for you.

Security is another major concern in a bustling student residence. If you lose your room key, your first instinct might be to panic or simply borrow your roommate’s spare. Please don’t do that; instead, report the loss to the security desk without delay. You will be charged a replacement fee, but we will get a new key cut for you right away to keep the building secure.

It’s not all about rules and regulations, though; we desperately want you to enjoy your extracurricular life here in the dorms. You might be tempted to join the university football team, which is highly competitive, but if you prefer something less formal within the halls themselves, we host a very popular table tennis tournament every semester. It’s an absolutely brilliant way to meet your neighbours and let off some steam.

We also encourage you to make full use of the communal lounge for socialising. Last year, a group of students organised a weekly board game club which was quite successful and a lot of fun. This year, however, we are introducing a movie night every Friday, and the accommodation team will even provide the popcorn! It should be a fantastic weekly event.

Of course, sharing a room or a flat can sometimes lead to disagreements. If you clash over who buys the milk or takes out the rubbish, don’t just ignore it hoping it will go away. We strongly advise all roommates to draft a written agreement during their first week together. It truly helps prevent those silly, minor arguments from escalating into much bigger conflicts.

Finally, looking ahead to the end of the academic year, you must leave your room exactly as you found it. I know many students spend their time worrying about passing their final exams, but you should also remember that any damage to the walls or furniture will result in a deduction from your deposit. So please, look after your accommodation and treat it as your home. Thanks for listening, and have a great term!

9 noticeboard 10 nerves 11 classical piece 12 student conductors

13 Wednesday evenings 14 pizza nights 15 local charities

16 time management 17 marketing team 18 confidence

Mark: Hello everyone, my name is Mark, and I’m here today to talk to you about extracurricular life at our university, specifically my wonderful experience with the university music society. Joining a society is a massive part of student life, and for me, it all started right at the onset of my first academic semester.

I had brought my cello from home, hoping to find a dedicated group to play with. I initially expected to find out about musical groups through the university website, or perhaps their official social media channels, but I actually saw an advertisement on a noticeboard in the student union building. It mentioned that the symphony orchestra was holding auditions the very next day.

Walking into the audition room, I felt a whirlwind mix of emotions. A lot of people claim they feel pure excitement before performing, but honestly, what I mostly experienced was nerves, especially seeing so many talented students tuning their expensive instruments in the corridor. However, everyone was incredibly welcoming and supportive.

For the audition itself, I wasn’t entirely sure what to prepare. A friend suggested I play a fast-paced jazz tune to show off my versatility, but I opted for a classical piece because I felt it better demonstrated my core technique. It turned out to be a really good choice, as it suited the orchestra’s upcoming repertoire perfectly.

I was quite intimidated by the thought of who would be judging me. I imagined a row of strict music professors, but the panel was actually made up of student conductors who run the society themselves. This made the whole experience much less intimidating, as they completely understood exactly how we were feeling.

Once I found out I had passed the audition, I received the rehearsal schedule. I was slightly worried it would take up my entire weekend, but the main full orchestra rehearsals are actually held on Wednesday evenings, which fits perfectly around my lectures and weekly assignments.

Being part of the society isn’t just about the music; the extracurricular and social aspect is huge. While other clubs are famous for their formal dinners or weekend pub crawls, our orchestra is well known for its weekly pizza nights after rehearsals. It’s a fantastic way to bond with students from completely different degree courses.

Of course, the main goal of our rehearsals is our grand end-of-semester performances. You might assume the money we raise from ticket sales goes towards university funds or buying new equipment, but in fact, all the proceeds are donated to local charities. It’s incredibly rewarding to know our music is making a tangible difference in the community.

I’ve gained a lot from participating in the society. While my sight-reading and teamwork have naturally improved over the months, the most significant benefit has been to my time management, as balancing a demanding degree with regular orchestra practice requires a lot of personal discipline.

And you don’t even have to play an instrument to be involved. While we always need people for the stage crew, we are currently desperately looking for members to join our marketing team to help promote our upcoming events. So, there really is a role for everyone who wants to get involved.

If any of you are considering auditioning next semester, my biggest piece of advice is not to worry about having flawless technique. What the panel really wants to see is your confidence when you play. Just go in there, do your best, and enjoy the music. Thank you.