Julia (Sem 2, 2023)

My Exchange at The University of Glasgow

My exchange thus far has been one of the most transformative experiences and definitely the most enjoyable semesters of my university career thus far. From my first year in university, I had known about the exchange opportunities hosted by 360 International through club expos at the University of Auckland, and I am so glad that I decided to participate. 

I initially arrived on a fairly grey and cloudy day in Glasgow, Scotland. This was what I was preparing myself for, but nevertheless it did take some pep talks to overcome the melancholic feel of my new home. However, this was a fleeting feeling as the weather turned from overcast to crisp blue skies and I moved into my accommodation. The accommodation I stayed at throughout my exchange was located around a 30 minutes walk from my university campus, in a suburban area. I stayed in a 5 person flat, with very spacious rooms but an unequipped kitchen which was surprising at first. Interestingly, although there were a thousand students living on the particular site where I was staying, I found it at times isolating. My experience in Glasgow university accommodation has definitely made me appreciate the effort placed on pastoral care for students living in accommodation in Auckland university. Nevertheless, after a few weeks of living on campus, I felt established in my routines. From walking the same route through the botanical gardens, to studying in the same cafe near me, these routines really helped me feel at home in Glasgow. 

Before starting classes at the University of Glasgow, ‘freshers week’ took place. This was a week of activities, parties and orientations designed to welcome new students to the university. I found this week to be a great way to join clubs, meet other exchange students and mingle before starting classes. When classes began, I found it surprising the way they were structured. Unlike classes in the University of Auckland, I took 5 smaller courses that had fewer coursework assessments and only heavily weighted exams at the end of the semester. I found this worked really well for my schedule because it allowed me more time throughout the semester to travel and explore Scotland and parts of Europe whilst staying on top of school work. In particular, I really enjoyed spending a week in Portugal, mainly for the sun and delicious food. However, I was also absolutely stunned with the natural beauty of Scotland. I truly explored this by joining the Mountaineering club which allowed me to go on hiking trips every other weekend to various locations in the Scottish highlands. I did a lot of hiking and exploring, and this has shown me how much I adore outdoor adventures! 

Of course, there are many perceptions of what Scottish food is like and I’d say definitely don’t travel to Scotland or possibly anywhere in the UK solely for an incredible cuisine experience. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Being vegetarian somewhat restricted me in being able to try all of the traditional scottish staples, however I did manage to get my hands on some vegetarian haggis, a ‘meat’ mixture served with potatoes, which was actually delicious. However, like all other large cities, there were plenty of amazing cafes and restaurants offering Italian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian, Lebanese and much more that definitely satisfied my hunger for delicious food. 

For anyone going on exchange to the UK, please know that it is expensive. Very expensive. I’d recommend not always converting the amount in pounds into NZD because it will just make you sad knowing how much money you’re spending on bus trips, coffees and even doing laundry. However, the one aspect of living that was definitely cheaper than in New Zealand was groceries. Food shopping was fairly enjoyable because of the variety of food their large supermarkets had to offer, especially for vegetarians and vegans. 

I think I faced some of the relatively larger challenges of my exchange experience about half way through my semester. During this point in time, I was getting into the swing of university work and had made some friends but still had to constantly put effort into hanging out with people I had just met or with Scottish locals. Understandably, I wasn’t used to this back in New Zealand, where I lived with my closest friends and wasn’t generally putting in a lot of effort to make new friends. However, this challenge subsided fairly quickly after I continued to put effort into initiating hangouts and they developed into strong friendships.

Generally, my exchange has taught me a vast amount about myself as a friend, a student, and a New Zealander. I realised how fun life can be when you become more spontaneous in your everyday routines and decide to spend a little more money on amazing experiences. I was always so frugal back home in NZ which meant I hadn’t really explored much of my own home and since coming to Scotland I think that will be something I put much more effort into doing. I’m a more confident traveller who can explore individually or in a large group, and in social situations I feel much more content introducing myself to a group of new people or conversely enjoying a quiet day by myself.  

To future students about to commence their exchange, or those considering whether they should or not, I’d urge everyone to go if they have the opportunity to. You won’t realise how much you’ve grown in such a short period of time until you leave and then return again with a new set of experiences, friends and realisations about yourself. I think challenging yourself in this way allows you to learn and discover many more traits about yourself that you didn’t realise you had whilst developing existing ones. Personally, this exchange will be the beginning of a lifetime of adventures and challenges that I am so excited to experience and I would hope that everyone gets an equivalent opportunity to explore themselves like I did.

Q&A

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

I enjoyed taking classes outside of my usual engineering course load. I found they challenged me and broadened my opinions and background in a variety of topics. I was able to take a sustainability course focusing on society’s consumption and production of energy, which was extremely eye-opening. Additionally, I took an Earth science class where I learnt about how to conduct paleoclimate reconstruction, which was very much out of my comfort zone but now something that I am considering interweaving into my future engineering studies. 

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

Hiking! Hiking! and more hiking! Scotland is the most beautiful and accessible place for those keen on adventures and exploring. Just 45 minutes bus away from Glasgow are incredible mountains that make you feel like you’re on Mars or in the Lord of the Rings. I’ve found that Scotland is actually more accessible than Auckland for hiking which was quite surprising considering New Zealand is praised globally as being the place to be for outdoor adventuring.

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

Defintiely research the accommodation options thoroughly before selecting one, I wish I had done this. Consider how far of a walk it is away from the campus and the proximity it is to other campus accommodations. I’d say veer away from Murano if you’re less of a partier because it can be very loud in the evening. But a solid pair of ear plugs will always do the trick. 

Don’t restrict yourself too much financially, get used to the prices of things and just enjoy spending money guilt free for once in your life. When else will you get to experience a semester without having to work, and being in a new and exciting city. 

Gigs and music! Glasgow is rated as one of the top cities in the UK for live music and it’s definitely true. Get amongst it and book in as many gigs as you can, it’s a great way of hanging out with new friends whilst discovering amazing local bands and artists.

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 budgeted around 10,000 for my exchange as well as the maximum living costs loan each week. Don’t get too attached to this number, as I was definitely not the most conservative spender, so you could definitely not spend as much as I did. Additionally, I did some travelling in Europe beforehand for a few weeks and throughout my exchange. 

Try and make a budget for the general large trips and expenses you’ll encounter to get a grasp on how much it will cost you. But at the same time, don’t try to micromanage your inflows and outflows, things will go wrong and you’ll end up spending more money than you had intended and that is completely okay! 

If you’re lucky enough, the bank of mum and dad is always a great interest free option to borrow some more funds just incase!!

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

I learnt that spending time alone can be really enjoyable and that you shouldn’t let that stop you from experiences the things you want to like travelling or even going out for dinner by yourself. It can be really peaceful and also a great way to observe where you are and make friends with others travelling by themselves. 

Be spontaneous! It is so fun and enriches your experience in most things. I learnt to put in effort into going out on new adventures is the only way to get the most out of your unique situation. It sometimes requires you to be uncomfortable and push yourself out of your comfort zone but that is the only way you’ll grow and end up making life-long friendships and memories!!

Final Comments

Everything I wanted to mention I essentially already have, but maybe I’ll just highlight again in case you’re still unsure of whether to go on exchange. 

I feel like I’ve learnt more about myself in the last three months on exchange than I have over the past two years at university. These new experiences I will carry with me for the rest of my life and I look froward to the future ones I’ll accummulate. I hope to never stop growing and challenging myself in this way, and my exchange has been such an incredible taster of what that will look like for me, and I hope it will for you too.