International Scottish Students' Festival

While the name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, the International Scottish Students’ Festival could prove to be an extremely worthwhile experience; the previous ISSF was held in Edinburgh last February, and this year returns bigger and better to Central College in Glasgow.

The aim of the day is “to celebrate and promote the rich diverse culture that international students bring to Scotland”. What this means in reality is a day of events, talks and exhibitions. The most notable are the fashion show – showcasing the work of up and coming designers from Scottish institutions – and the 5-a side World Cup Football Tournament. The latter should be especially interesting as students from any university in Scotland can put forward a team (as long as they’ve at least one international student on the roster, of course).

There’s also a range of exhibitions from companies all over Scotland, the aim being to provide students with a better understanding of the various services and businesses within the region, and presumably post-graduation employment opportunities – tying in nicely with a number of workshops offering financial and careers advice. If you’re an international student and have just loved Scotland that damn much you can't bear to leave its rain-slicked streets, then you’ll be particularly drawn to the ‘Relocation Advisory Service Seminar’, which will help answer any question you may have about setting up home here once you've finished studying.

The ISSF is a celebration of all the things that international students bring to Scotland, and all the things that Scotland does for them in return. The promoters also may have mentioned that “all students are encouraged to attend the event in their national costumes” – so if nothing else it'll be a great excuse to give your patriotic attire an airing while having a kickabout.