My Exchange at The University of Nottingham – Law
From a prospective exchange student’s perspective; it would have been ideal to have my acceptance confirmed a lot sooner than it was as it would have given me a lot more certainty to plan everything however I understand that was more on the part of my host university. It would have been nice to know someone else there especially since there was another kiwi on exchange at the same university as myself; had I known she was going we could have linked up and helped each other out. There are plenty of more things that I wish I’d ideally known prior to leaving however going into an unknown environment where you are forced to figure things out is part of the challenge and personal development of going on exchange. Hence it was good that things were left for me to figure out as it allowed me to gain confidence in myself.
When I first arrived – I was cold. Having left NZ summer for UK winter was difficult but after a week or so I settled in and bought some warmer clothes and suddenly it was all normal. It actually did not rain much in England at all surprisingly. I probably only got 10 days of rain in the 6 months I was there.
I stayed in on campus accommodation in a flat with other students – they were all rather young (all 18) which was different as I was 23 but I loved it. I made friends with all of them and they were really helpful in helping me settle in. Being close to campus also provided me with the support of accommodation staff and resources that I would not have received had I found a flat to live in separately. My room was small but honestly it was fine for the short amount of time I was there and I paid similar rent to what I paid in Auckland.
There wasn’t much of an orientation since I arrived in what was semester 2 for my host university but my tutor on campus was incredibly helpful so were my flatmates who showed me around and helped me find my classes.
Teaching was similar to how it was at home, so were assessments. There was some foundational reading and catching up to do as law is a jurisdiction-specific subject but apart from that I found the education side of things fairly okay to keep up with. The grading is different so I just got someone to explain that to me at the start of the semester.
My host city was very student-friendly which I loved and the campus was stunning with lots of nature, old buildings, a wonderful lake, nice study spaces.
The cost of living in Nottingham was similar to that of Auckland however coffees were more expensive and everywhere else I went in England was more expensive as well as everywhere I travelled to. But rent, groceries, gym memberships were pretty comparable.
In terms of extracurricular activities, I did loads of travelling (18 countries, 45 cities) during my 6 months there, but I also took advantage of the state of the art gym University of Nottingham had as well as made friends with other exchange students. One of my flatmates was a big theatre enthusiast as well as an actress so I went to many theatre shows whilst in Nottingham.
I loved living in Nottingham, there was always something going on and something to do. The food was pretty much the same as NZ, but obviously catered to European tastes – I would say Auckland has better Asian food.
The highlights of my exchange were definitely travelling and the people I met along the journey.
Challenges of my exchange was getting over the loneliness I felt in my first few weeks of being there – it was hard because I felt like 6 months was such a long time at the time but now I would absolutely go back and do it all over again. 6 months flew by!
If you’re considering an exchange – do it! Embrace the nerves and the fear and the being pushed out of your comfort zone – it will help you grow and heal and become the person you’re meant to be! There’s genuinely a whole world out there – go experience it!
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
I loved making friends with the other exchange students as they were all on the same journey and we were able to share that experience together and grow alongside each other. Additionally, it was also wonderful making friends with the locals who were able to expose me to the local culture and how things worked – by the end of it, I fit right in and Nottingham felt like my home too. It was extremely difficult to leave. The people were honestly the best part!
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
The University of Nottingham is based in Nottinghamshire which is in the middle of England making it an ideal location to travel to other countries within Europe. So I would 100% recommend taking advantage of the location in Europe and travelling because it improved my experience so much.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
- Take advantage of the location in Europe – it’s super central and easy to travel from Nottingham.
- University of Nottingham is a big sports university so get involved – get a gym membership; it is so worth it for their state of the art gym with a pool and rock climbing wall etc.
- Budget for how expensive England can be, the pound is not a favorable currency against the NZD so capitalise on student deal and make savings were 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 think this depends on what you want to get out of your exchange – if you’re happy staying in the city you’re on exchange in then your budget would look drastically different to mine. I went to 18 countries and 45 cities during my 6 months away so I had to allocate funds for that.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I learned to be so much more independent. You learn to look after yourself especially because I went to a part of the world where I had no family or friends so had to figure things out on my own with no safety nets especially while doing things like solo travelling. I also learned that most people are friendly and it’s always good to ask someone for help if you’re a bit lost or worried.
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
It was really important to plan the foundation of my travels i.e. having a general idea of where I want to go and when however I met people along the way and made friends from all over the world which made my plans change. Luckily I had enough flexibility to make changes which was ideal. It was also a good idea to make an effort to learn the basics of the local language in each place I was in – made a big difference.
Is there anything else you’d like to highlight?
Take pictures/videos/content of everything – even if it might seem annoying or silly at the time; it will be so worth it and you will look back at those memories with such fondness. The first thing I did when I got to my host city was pop into a local book store and buy a journal and for the next 6 months, I took it everywhere with me and filled it up with my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. When you’re alone on the other side of the world and you feel like you have no one to process your thoughts with – writing them down in a journal helped immensely. So I found keeping a journal so incredible.