My Exchange at The University of Nottingham
How I found out about the 360 International exchange programme:
The programme was actually one of the reasons I applied to UoA in the first place! I went to South Africa on exchange in high school, which changed my world so much, and I always wanted to do another exchange so I researched every option whilst I was choosing which university to go to. The 360 programme at UoA looked really promising, and there were so many exchange partner options to choose from, including places that I really wanted to go. Covid threw me a little but thankfully, the world opened up again, and I was still able to go on exchange :’)
My feelings/first impressions when I arrived at my host university/city/country:
I was so nervous to meet my flatmates and go to uni and start the whole process of making friends and building a life. But I knew that I was there because I had chosen to push myself out of my comfort zone and that I had already come halfway around the world by myself, might as well make the most of it. And I did, I joined all the clubs and events and met the most incredible people and everything turned out better than I could have imagined.
What my accommodation was like:
I actually ended up in a five-person flat by myself for the first month and a half because none of my flatmates showed up! I had the option to move if I needed to but I actually really enjoyed the experience of living completely alone- needless to say I had lots of dinner parties with friends 🙂 I did then get some flatmates who were lovely.
The flat was nice enough. It felt safe and was clean (as far as student accommodation goes!). Very easy to get to the city centre and to campus, and it had a supermarket across the road, so it all worked out very well. It wasn’t dissimilar to student accommodation at UoA, though I think the buildings were a lot older.
Orientation at the host university:
My best friend that I made on exchange was at the orientation tour on day one. It was so so nice to meet other exchange students and have people going through the same things as you, as well as having the chance to ask questions about where on campus has the best coffee, or where is the best place to study, or anything else we could have needed. UoN was fantastic at making me feel welcome.
What I thought of the courses/teaching at the host university:
Very similar to UoA. We had group projects, individual essays, presentations and exams to make up our final grades. My lecturers were very passionate about their subjects, and it was great to learn some different kinds of subject material.
What the host city/country was like:
Nottingham is a beautiful city to be in, I absolutely adore it. It’s in the East Midlands area which has some lovely countryside, the main uni campus was even set on acres of gorgeous parkland. The town itself is very studenty, it felt quite safe and everyone was very friendly. The UK is a nice place to be too. It can get quite chilly but England has some beautiful scenery and so many opportunities to get involved with things that we don’t have in New Zealand.
What the cost of living was like compared to Auckland:
I thought it was expensive when I was there but then I came back to NZ and actually I think the majority of things were on par. Public transport especially was a lot more expensive in the UK, as was alcohol and food and drink when eating out. However, the food prices and rent were cheaper so it mostly balances out in my opinion. I did spend a lot more money in the UK but that’s because I was out doing activities all the time.
Extracurricular activities I took part in:
I joined the Photography society at UoN which was a lot of fun. I learnt to develop film, we did some light photography and photo walks around the city and even photographed the university’s folk band! I made a lot of friends there and found a new hobby in photography that I have continued since being back in NZ. I had a job as a bartender as well where I befriended some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met in my life. I also did so much travelling. I visited nine countries over the course of the exchange, travelling before my semester started as well as during and for a month after. Some of it was solo and some was with people I had met over in the UK. I very much enjoyed exploring more of the UK and Europe whilst I was there and I grew so much as person because of it.
Life on campus:
The campus was absolutely gorgeous. I would regularly meet friends for coffee and we would go sit on the grass by the lake on campus and study or read and debate our classwork. There was a gorgeous meadow too which was so lovely to watch the sunset from. It snowed in March and my goodness that was absolutely magical. It was just such a wonderful place to be and it made me look forward to uni every day. There are also free buses that take you between campuses and around the main one as it is quite large.
Highlights:
The biggest highlights were the people I met and the new experiences that I completely fell in love with. I learnt so much about myself and I cannot wait to go back to Nottingham one day soon. Definitely do an exchange if you have the chance, and use the opportunity to try new things and push yourself- it will change your life.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
The tutorials were super interesting and encouraged participation really well. I particularly enjoyed my sociology tutorials as they were the perfect space to engage with the course material. I also found all my lecturers to be incredibly passionate about their subjects and they brought a lot of enjoyment to the classes.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
Join clubs!! The University of Nottingham is well known for its sports so if you have any kind of interest in sports absolutely join a team. I joined the photography society as well which has lots of cool opportunities. Other than that, make the most of Nottingham’s geographical location and TRAVEL!- Notts is really close to the East Midlands airport and all of Europe is within a couple of hours’ flight and maybe £40 tops for a Ryan Air plane ticket. Nottingham is also really central to the UK and you can get down to London very easily or go up North towards York or even Scotland. Last thing- make the most of the student culture in Nottingham city centre itself and join things, go to random events and club nights and try out the funky bars across town. There’s also the Attenborough Nature Reserve towards Beeston which is simply stunning to walk around. Or go to Wollaton Hall which is right next to campus (it’s a beautiful estate and hall with deer wandering around and it was used in the Batman films as Batman’s house!). There’s so much to join and do around Notts, you’ll never be bored.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
Get involved with clubs, sports teams, new people- don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. You’ve already moved across the world by yourself- so the hardest part is already done!
Travel, make the most of being close to Europe (and even some of North Africa). I travelled to nine different countries whilst I was there and it was truly incredible, I couldn’t recommend it enough.
Take interesting classes! Nottingham has some really cool classes on offer, I picked some papers/modules that I thought sounded interesting and they were absolutely fascinating. Also, people are always keen to hear a Kiwi perspective in class discussions.
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 didn’t have a traditional budget per se, I worked whilst I was over there (as luckily I am a British citizen) and was tight with my spending. My rent was a fixed cost of £2500 which I knew going in, and I had given myself an additional £2500 which I knew wouldn’t last- hence the part-time job. I made £1000 over the semester (they pay very low wages in the UK) which all went towards the exchange too so overall spent around £6000 ($12,000 NZD). However, that does include some of the travelling that I did which I heavily budgeted for. The only tip I have would be to expect the cost of living to be high (some things cost considerably more that I was used to in New Zealand) but give yourself the space and time to figure out your spending habits as you’re in a whole new place! And don’t stress too much about sticking to a set budget. Obviously, this is only to an extent but do try and enjoy yourself.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
My entire world perspective changed. I had some big realisations on a train somewhere between Florence and Milan and these were all thanks to the exchange. My priorities in life changed, the things I thought I wanted out of my life changed. The people I met and the experiences I had simply from continuing to push myself out of my comfort zone opened my mind to so many things about the world.
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
I went over to the UK in late November and spent two months exploring England, Scotland and even went over to Paris! Once I had started my semester, I travelled with a friend to Brighton (amazing) and London, then Barcelona the week after with my girlfriend (my second fave place I went overall was Barcelona, it was so so cool). I travelled solo to Ireland mostly to see the Titanic museum (worth it), then all around the UK a little more, visiting some extended family that I have over there. After uni finished I travelled around Europe, I saw Amsterdam, some parts of rural Netherlands, all around Belgium, Switzerland (top fave place ever!), then all around Italy as well (definitely go to Venice and Florence if you get the chance). Some of Europe was solo, some was with friends I made in Nottingham and some was with brand new people. Lots of things didn’t go to plan but I learnt how to problem solve and things worked out! It ended up being an incredible and completely perfect adventure.
Tags: 2023, Psychology, Report