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When you're preparing to study abroad in the UK, you'll likely be doing a great deal of research on the activities and entertainment that will surround you at your university of choice. Indeed, the thrill of studying in a foreign country is in soaking up that country's culture, and enjoying new experiences with the people and events there. It's always best to make a full effort to immerse yourself as much as possible.

But that doesn't mean you won't have nights when you'd rather just stay in your dorm room, or apartment, or wherever else you may be staying. University life can be exhausting, and while it's important to get out and experience your environment, nothing beats a relaxing night in now and again. So here are our 5 tips for how students from abroad can easily relax and enjoy themselves without ever leaving the room.

ForeignStudents.com editor Andy is not too long out of university and can (vaguely) remember his own Freshers' Week. He's brought together the seven deadly mistakes everyone makes during Freshers' Week so you don't have to (including the old tin foil room above).

1) Going too big, too early

For most people Freshers' Week is seven straight nights of drinking until the early hours. Your first week at university doesn't come round too often, so that's ok - going out is a large part of the process of making new friends. Getting so smashed on the first night that you a) embarrass yourself b) can't remember who your new friends are c) can't make it out for the next few nights, isn't the perfect start.

2) Not eating

With the constant socialising, food can often be forgotten about. A recent survey claimed that more than three quarters of students don't know how to boil an egg and 57% can't cook vegetables (supposedly). Despite your 18-year-old body being able to cope with almost anything you throw at it, it will soon wilt if you don't eat. Eating is not cheating, and however much you try and persuade yourself, Guinness does not count as one of your five-a-day.

There are many reasons to take an online study course, ranging from career enhancement to simply proving to yourself that you can do it. Many students around the world turn to UK distance learning providers, partly because of the course choice and partly because of the reputation of the institutions.

Anyone who is planning to study remotely towards an academic qualification will need to have a number of attributes in order to succeed. If you ask most prospective students which quality will be required most of all, the chances are they will say intelligence, or perhaps determination, but most people find they require self-discipline above all else.

The truth is that the most successful students are those who know when to study and when to say no to distractions. Over the course of the study period there will undoubtedly be times when tempting opportunities to socialise come along, and turning them down often becomes more difficult than following the intricacies of the course itself. Discipline is simply a must.

For the best of British cinema, the best place to go is Brittany ...in France! From October 3-6, the picturesque seaside resort of Dinard will hold its 24th Festival du Film Britannique. With its beautiful beach, convivial casino, smart restaurants, quaint hotels and its unique seaside strolls, it resembles a more intimate Festival de Cannes and only for British films. Like Cannes, it has popular star turns and ambitious art house endeavours as well as a host of professional and social events.

One event that has become a regular fixture is the students short film competition, featuring three shorts each from the most prestigious French and British film schools, the Fémis and the NFTS.

Apart from that section, all the films on show are British or Irish. There is also a competition of six top-notch new features, this year including the much anticipated The Selfish Giant by Clio Bernard, a film that generated great buzz in Cannes this year. It is a very emotional story, where two young working class Bradford boys find their friendship tested when they get involved in scrap collecting and clandestine trotting races.

Thanks to the emergence of the web, potential students no longer have to sign up to full-time courses at universities. Remote learning is becoming increasingly popular in many countries around the world, and it's easy to see why. As long as you prepare properly and have somewhere to study, anyone can sign up to an interesting and rewarding course.

While many people feel the urge to attend a university or college on a full-time basis in order to fully absorb the student experience, there are a significant number who simply cannot spare the time, the commitment or the money to adopt such a strategy. There was a time when such individuals simply missed out on an education, but it's not the case anymore.

The advent of the internet has changed our lives in so many ways, but few can have been as gratefully welcomed as the chance to study remotely. Thanks to the web, students from any location in the world can sign up to a reputable course in a subject of their choice, thereby enhancing their career prospects without having to move abroad to do so.