Olivia (Sem 2, 2022)

My Exchange at The University of Nottingham

I first moved over during the European summer so that I could have some time to travel around before settling in at my course. I have two siblings who live in London, and my parents and other brother travelled over with me for a family trip. I think because I had my family there it really helped me to settle right in to my new environment, so I didn’t feel any culture shock and was just super happy and excited. 

When it was time to start uni, I moved into Broadgate Park in Nottingham which is about 1.5 hours North of London. Broadgate Park is a very large hall of residents with around 30 buildings. I was a bit nervous going into a hall as I am a postgraduate student I didn’t want to be necessarily living with first year students. I was relieved when I found out that my building within the hall was all one-semester exchange students so I got to meet some really cool people from all around the world and similar ages to myself. 

I studied at University of Nottingham for one semester of my March Prof. The campus of Nottingham was beautiful. I loved the course that Nottingham provided as it was very hands on and practical work which I had not been exposed to much here in New Zealand. The course was a combined first and second year masters class, which I found was beneficial for my learning as I got an insight into how a thesis works for next year. The cohort was a lot smaller so I found that the teaching was very specified and I learnt a lot from my lecturers as well as making some great friends.

The actual cost of living in England (out of London) is much cheaper than New Zealand if you go into a hall as the gas, heating and electricity is all paid for. Supermarkets are far cheaper over there to the point that I got a fright when entering back into New Zealand. Although it took me a while to get used to converting pounds back to NZD, so everything initially seemed a lot cheaper than it was as well.

My course was pretty full on that I didn’t get much time to partake in any university clubs or sports but when I did have free time I would go hang out with the English people in my course, or the exchange people in my building or even go travelling overseas or back to London for the weekend. Travel is so easy over there as everything is so close.

I think a highlight of my exchange would be all the people that I met, being able to spend time with my siblings and the my course that I took whilst over there as I felt that I learnt so much and was exposed to new techniques and theories. Travelling would be another huge highlight of mine.

Although I loved my course so much, it was also pretty challenging at times as it was very intense and time-consuming. However, because I spent so much time at the university I bonded really well with my classmates. 
If you are thinking of doing an exchange 100% do it. It might be scary or a bit nerve-racking at first but you just have to put yourself out there because it is so rewarding in the end.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

I loved the course that I was enrolled in. It was hard but I learnt so much, such great tutors, smaller cohorts so it was a lot more personalised, spent a lot of time at uni so I met some really great friends in my course.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

I didn’t really have much time for extracurricular activities but if you are travelling to anywhere in Europe on an exchange make the most of how close every other country is. It is so easy to go away for a weekend and explore new places.

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

1. Save up a decent amount of money before you go so you can afford to do cool experiences
2. Just put yourself out there even if you’re shy because it is really rewarding and no one knows who you are 
3. Research what you can do around your area and best means of transport are so that you don’t miss anything

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

I saved up $10,000 NZD after my accommodation was paid for just living / travel costs and found that it was just enough to get me through 6 months of no income. I wasn’t able to buy any clothes or anything but was worth it.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

I learnt that when I wanted or needed to I could really put myself out there as I was before quite shy. I think that even now I feel more comfortable in my own skin back home.