My Exchange at The Glasgow School of Art
I found out about the 360 International Exchange programme through the University of Auckland’s website. I looked it up because I assumed most universities in New Zealand offer exchange programmes.
My first impression of arriving in Glasgow was very positive. I felt like the city and university made me feel welcome and included.
My accommodation was expensive, but it was worth it. I made friends with students I lived with, I had an ensuite bathroom, I had a desk and lots of storage, I could walk to campus in less than 10 minutes, and my accommodation got plenty of sunshine.
The orientation at Glasgow School of Art was really great. My teachers gave us a tour of our studios and workshops. The Student Union ran lots of fun and creative events during orientation week such as dance classes and karaoke where I could make friends.
The courses at Glasgow School of Art were not better or worse than at the University of Auckland, but quite different. The assignments were a lot less structured, and the class hours were a lot less and differed week to week.
Glasgow is a great city to live in. People tend to complain about the weather, however, it’s a lot warmer and dryer than Auckland because the buildings are better designed. There is so much art happening in the city, most weekends a new art exhibition will open. It’s LGBTQIA+ friendly. There are bike lanes. There is a community garden which offers pay-what-you-can veggie boxes. There are nice parks and museums. The pub culture is very fun, with live Scottish music, quizzes and ceilidh. Buses are free if you are under 22. Taking public transport across the country is easy and fast. You can even take a bus to remote areas to go hiking.
The cost of living is roughly the same as Auckland. The rent is more expensive, shopping and eating out is more expensive, however groceries are cheaper.
Glasgow School of Art doesn’t have many clubs, maybe 10?
Being on campus is great because there is always a lot happening. Students are always putting together their own art exhibitions, club nights and other events. Students actually use their studios.
The highlight of my exchange was the trip my class made to London. We visited art museums and had tours by the curators.
The challenge of my exchange was making friends. I am a 26-year-old undergrad student, and most people I met were 20-years-old. I was always around lots of people, but I found it difficult to connect with anyone. But to be fair, I had that same challenge in Auckland. The other challenge was adjusting to the different style of teaching at Glasgow School of Art.
My advice to students thinking about the exchange programme would be to save lots of money beforehand. During the exchange, I would recommend trying new things. Don’t stay in your bedroom too much! Meet new people and allow them to drag you along to things you otherwise wouldn’t do yourself.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
One highlight was a three-day class trip to London. We got to visit The Tate, The Tate Modern, the Royal Academy of Art and some other smaller galleries as a class. Curators sometimes met with us and showed us around the collections.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
I recommend going to a cèilidh at ‘Avant Garde’ bar in Glasgow.
Downloading the ‘WalkHighlands’ app to get information about hiking in Scotland. A great walk only an hour bus ride from Glasgow is ‘Doune Hill and Beinn Eich, from Luss’. Further afield is the beautiful Isle of Skye.
See the Highland cows at Pollock Park.
Learn about Glasgow’s part in the transatlantic slave trade on a City Walking tour.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
Get out of your bedroom and go explore!
Make friends with local people outside of the university
Go solo-travelling before or after the semester.
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 tried and failed to budget for my exchange. I had enough because I had worked full-time prior to starting university.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I started to narrow down what I want to make artwork about. I learnt about film theory and performativity.
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
I solo-travelled around Europe before my semester in Glasgow began. It was really valuable to my studies to visit lots of Art museums and attend Film festivals. I stayed in hostels which meant I was meeting people from all over the world. Being from different backgrounds, I had lots of life-changing conversations
Final Comments
Go have an adventure!
