Midori (Sem 2, 2022 + Sem 1, 2023)

My Exchange at University College London

Doing an exchange was always part of my plan when coming to university. Covid hit during my first semester after arriving, however, and the chances of me getting to go overseas during my degree seemed to diminish. All the same, I kept my GPA up, and when 360 opened their exchange program again, I was fortunate enough to get into my first-choice university UCL. I had visited London once before, and knew that it was my dream city to live in. I had originally planned to spend only one semester there, but after my first week, I knew that I had to stay for the whole year if possible. When I extended my exchange, I had to apply for a longer-stay visa, and while it was more expensive, I was able to do this partway through my year from the UK.

Induction week (equivalent to o-week in New Zealand) included a lot of events hosted by certain departments, clubs, societies, or accommodations. I ended up joining four different societies through which I was able to make quite a few friendships. I was also lucky enough to get my first-choice accommodation, a hall that was less than a 10-minute walk from campus. I shared a kitchen and bathrooms with 7 other people (all girls, by coincidence), and these were the people I would get closest to over the course of my exchange year. Because we didn’t have a common room or lounge-type space, the kitchen ended up being our social area, and we became close with our two neighbouring kitchens as well, often hosting drinks or parties together.

The difficulty level of the courses at UCL were not too different from those at UoA, but because it is a more difficult university to get into, I did find that the other students in my classes showed a higher level of passion and academic discipline than those at UoA. This was extremely refreshing, and it was an environment that I really thrived in. I was able to make connections with a good number of professors in the UCL Classics Department, which I hope will help me when I apply for postgraduate study.

The part that I loved most about my exchange was the lifestyle I was able to lead as a UCL student. I had a strong social life, and living in London was expensive but absolutely the dream that I had envisioned. I made amazing, life-long friends, saw a dozen West End musicals, and fully embraced the pub culture of the UK. Over holidays and weekends I was able to travel all over Europe, as well as take quite a few day trips around England.

It was absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I would strongly recommend an exchange to anyone who wants to be a more global citizen and widen their future horizons.

Q&A

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

Getting to connect with professors from all over the world, and build a network for postgraduate study.

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

I love the musical theater scene in London, and UCL has an amazing MT society that organises cheap tickets to shows a couple times a year.

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

1) Staying in halls is the fastest and easiest way to make friends.
2) If it is possible with your degree, go for the full year (instead of one semester) to get the whole experience with your peers.
3) London is a hub of culture, art, food, and globalisation. Take advantage of this and try as many new things as you can.

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 10000 NZD for my exchange. It was almost all of my savings from the past 4 years and every penny was worth it. They aren’t lying when they say London is the most expensive city in the world, but the experiences you get to have are priceless.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

My time in London made me realise how detached from the world we are here in New Zealand. Not only geographically, but also in terms of current events and global movements. Being in such a global city like London was eye-opening and very refreshing, and definitely an environment which I was more comfortable in.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

As a classics student, I wanted to take advantage of being so close to the European continent, and was lucky enough to travel to famous archeological sites in Greece and Italy that I learned about in my courses. It helped me to reignite the passion for my degree and contextualise my studies.