Study in the UK Blog

ok. sorry i’ve been absent for a few days. the crazyness of packing, leaving, flying, arriving was almost a bit too much for me. So, I’m finally here. Glasgow!. Well, its a lot how I imagined it to be. Except for the weather which has actually been nice (I even got a few sporadic periods of sunshine!). Things have gone relatively smooth. I arrived Friday morning with more luggage than I can possibly carry but I managed to throw everytthing onto a cart and drag accross Glasgow International Airport. Customs & Immigration went completely smooth, I was really pleased & happpy. No weird questions or hassles.

so far I have enjoyed the city very much. its a fairly handsome city with lots of shops & weird/interesting stores. one of the things that has striken me the most is that you dont see a lot of people in the streets. but it might just be that i’ve done that at odd time and/or the weekend.

These nights I’ve been staying at the Glasgow Hostel while I look for a flat. Great place really. Friendly staff & convenient facilities. This being said though, CANNOT wait until I find my own place. You cant really beat having you own room. I also learned that the single most important thing to bring to a hostel is: EARPLUGS!. Please if you dont know this, never forget. Because you can either get the super-loud snoring-person or the stay-up-late-and-make-lots-of-noise-person or the laugh-while-sleeping person (which is really, really freaky).

Ok, well, all in all, I just wanted to drop a few lines to say how things are going. Im slowly adapting to the change. Although I really miss my friends & my ladyfriend Amelie, I try to take things day by day.

Ok ok greetings from glasgow & I will write a bit more soon. until then,

juan

As many of you will have noticed, Stephen has already completed his year studying at the University of Leeds and has returned back home to Australia. I am sure you will agree it has been a fantastic insight into his year studying in the UK and judging from all the comments you have left you enjoyed it too!

The InternationalStudent.com team would like to thank Stephen for all his hard work blogging over the last year and wish him the very best of luck with his continuing studies. If you ever need anything, you can always drop us a line and we are happy to try and help you!

So, many of you will be wondering what is going to happen with the blog now – and it is with great anticipation that we can announce a brand new student blogger to the InternationalStudent.com community. Juan Ortiz-Apuy is our brand new study in the uk student blogger – coming from Costa Rica and pursuing his masters in fine art from the Glasgow School of Art.

I will let Juan introduce himself and give you some background about him when he blogs his first post, so Juan – over to you!

After an unbelievable 10 months away, I returned home at the beginning of July. Sorry for the delay in posting this, it’s been an incredibly hectic couple of weeks seeing family and friends, not to mention settling back in. Packed quite a bit of sightseeing into the final few weeks after semester ended before returning to London for the flight home to Brisbane, Australia. A wonderful way to top off such a great time away.

Looking back I can realise how lucky I really was. During the 10 months away, I’ve been able to take part in much of the international student experience. But unlike those there for their entire degree, I had the comfort of returning home to family and friends before a year was up. I can’t imagine the commitment it must take to make the decision to spend 3-4 years study in another country, and what it must be like to move your entire life there for that period. For me it felt more like my life in Australia was on hold for the time I was away, and it was always there to return to afterwards.

When I arrived in Leeds, I was a bit annoyed that there were two days that I had to find accommodation for before I could move into the student accommodation that we were provided with. I’ve since spoken to people from Leeds who have just arrived in Brisbane, and had to stay in hostels until they could find a flat to move into – with no guarantees regarding the proximity to the university or pricing. I was shocked at the contrast that choosing a different university can make.

That being said, studying in the UK is such a life-changing opportunity that I would recommend it to anyone. The independence, social insight and fun that can be gained whilst meeting study commitments is enormous, and offers the perfect opportunity to see another part of the world.

Tomorrow is the start of the next semester back home in Brisbane. It’s exciting to be back at this university, but there’s so much I’ll miss about Leeds – from the rich history of the UK to the excitement of student life so close to campus. It’s strange to think that I’ve studied in Leeds for only one semester less than in Brisbane, it feels like a home a way from home now. Before I know it, I’ll be stuck into the semester’s work – but there’s always the next adventure to look forward to.

I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions regarding my time in the UK, but until then good luck!

With my last exam completed, the end of semester celebrations have begun. While everyone is pleased to be finished, it’s also sad to have to say goodbye to friends I’ve made throughout the year as they venture on back to their respective cities around England. The unforgettable, fun times that we’ve had together made up some of the unique experiences of studying abroad. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep in touch and make contact again, somewhere around the world. During my final week in Leeds I plan on seeing more of the city itself, making a couple of daytrips around northern England and getting organised for the move back to Brisbane.

It’ll be hard sorting through the possessions I’ve picked up throughout the year, but obviously there’s only so much that can make it back. There’s also a load of academic work to go through and decide what’ll be needed in the future. Hopefully by the end of the coming week my room will consist of a box for the shipping company to take and a packed backpack ready for the next adventure. Before I head home I’m flying over to Denmark, and heading through Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary on the way to Austria, where I’ll fly back to London. After 5 days in London (including one Radiohead gig) I’ll begin the long trip back home.

Though it’s sad to be leaving the place I’ve come to live and love, it’s also exciting to be just over 5 weeks away from home. After 10 months of living out of either a backpack or a solitary room, I’m sure the home comforts will be very relaxing. I’ve heard about how reverse culture shock can be, so it will be interesting to see how things feel in the first few after arriving home. I’ll keep things updated here as to how the transition back home goes.

If anyone has any questions about how the experience has been throughout the year here in the UK, feel free to ask!

Over the month long easter holiday I had the opportunity to travel around Ireland, Northern Wales, Southern England and Italy. Had an absolutely fantastic time, and managed to pack so much into such a short time. For someone coming from a country with only a few hundred years of (English) history, walking amoungst the Roman ruins was a mind-blowing experience.

All good things must come to an end though, and I returned to uni to a torrent of assessment and tests. It was quite a load to deal with, especially having not touched the books in a month. The work continues this week with 3 assignments and an exam. Things will let up next week, but just for a week being the last week of term.

I was quite astonished on the weekend when I discovered that I only had 8 days of classes remaining. Today, that number is down to 6, which seems tiny compared to the time I’ve spent here in Leeds. Even so, its a strange feeling considering the fact that it’s still just over 2 months before I fly home. I think once classes finish the journey home will seem much closer, but for now I’m more concerned with exam preparations.

What’s left for me after this week? One more week of term, a week study break, 2 weeks of exams and then a month of travel before heading back to Australia. As much as it seems to be coming to an end, i don’t like to admit it – I still hope to pack as much fun and adventure into the next two months as possible.

I’m cross-posting this with my other blog, which has been used so far for travel notes and photos. I’ve kept this one separate and just covered the University and Study Abroad related things here, but if you’re interested in the travel I’ve been up to feel free to check it out here.Here are some of the I’ve differences I’ve noticed between life in Leeds and Queensland over the past few months. Some might seem a bit negative, but it’s really part of the fun and experience of living here. 

– For the same trip, travel can range from the ridiculously cheap to obscenely expensive. 
– Despite being 20 degrees colder, people still where the same clothes clubbing.
 - It really doesn’t snow as much as you’d hope.
 - Pints soon become just as easy to get through as schooners.
 - You wake up every morning knowing that it’s quite unlikely that you’re going to see the sun.
 - Dinner time becomes 6pm, on the dot.
 - Every kind of Pasty/Pastry is available, but still no authentic meat pies.
 - Newspapers are even more tabloidal then back home.
 - Accents vary a ridiculous amount considering how close everyone is to each other.
 - Metric really hasn’t taken off yet, despite conversion discussions starting in 1818.
 - Jaywalking is rampant and not policed. Glance and run!
 - A Full English Breakfast is an amazing start to the day.
 - Where ever you go, it’s likely you’ll find an old castle or church.
 - Fancy dress is a fact of life for going out.
 - Rain becomes so normal you hardly notice it.
 - Basins come with two options, scorching hot or ice cold.
 - Potatoes become part of your staple diet.
 - Libraries become much more use to students when their only a short walk away.
 - You notice all the slight differences in vocabulary
– “Hoover vs. Vacuum, Duvet vs. Doona, Squash vs. Cordial”, just to name a few.
 - There’s no limit to the amount of tea you can pack into a day.
 - Terraced houses are everywhere, no Queenslanders here.
 - “You alright?” almost completely replaces “How’s it going?”
 - There’s someone asleep in every lecture.
 - Radiators are capable of turning any cold room into an Australian summer.
 - Traffic lights go yellow through both green to red and reverse.
 - Even on a sunny day you’re bound to find a cloud up there in the sky somewhere.
 - Supermarket branded alcohol is fit for consumption.

Just a small note while I’m working on a larger post, which will be about some of my observations of the unique qualities of British life.

Lectures are usually quite helpful when needed, but might need a reminder for any action to take place. Back home I’d hadn’t needed to consult my lecturers much, but study abroad can bring issues like timetable clashes and subjects that assume knowledge that you may not have covered.

One lecturer understood the difficulty in taking a mainstream subject as an elective without it’s predecessors and kindly provided a bunch extra material for catching up on the class. Another was aware of timetable clashes for the exchange students in the class, and when requested ensured that any materials where made available.

Lecturers are generally approachable, and happy to answer any questions after class or in their office time. Sometimes lecturers can seem surprised to have exchange students present in their classes, but making yourself known to them is important. They will be more open to any requests you may have when they understand the situation.

After returning from a fantastic holiday, I came to realise how much Leeds now feels like home. While traveling around Europe was great, it was a relief to return, relax and catch up with friends. A couple of days after returning it was straight into exams. Probably one of the most intense exam blocks I’ve had during University, with 7 exams across the two week period. By the end of it I was exhausted, but fairly pleased with how it went. I think it’s unusual for a student here to have so many exams since a lot of the domestic student’s modules stretch across 2 semesters, allowing them to be examined at the end.

Last week we attended a function a the university for students who were from Australia, and those studying there in the next semester. It was a great chance to meet up with students from Leeds coming to the University of Queensland (about 20!), and they got to ask loads of questions regarding accommodation, the city and uni. Since then they’ve set up a facebook group to stay in touch, something I’d highly recommend if you know anyone else doing the same exchange program as you.

The next semester is now underway, starting a few days after the exams finished. It looks to be a good semester, with interesting subjects and a bit less study load. I haven’t done any further travel since the semester started up, but hope to see more of the UK soon. Over the Easter break I’m planning on traveling to Wales, Ireland and Italy. Should be great fun, and there’s always plenty more to do before heading back home in July.

With my first semester here in Leeds now over, I’m counting down the days till I fly over for a trip around Europe. Over 25 day’s I’m traveling to The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, France and Scotland. I should be spending Christmas in Paris, France and New Years in Edinburgh, Scotland. This’ll be my first real trip traveling – so it’s pretty exciting! It’s going to be tricky juggling the travel with study, but I think it’ll be worth it.

In keeping with the theme of my last post, here are my top 5 post-arrival tips. Hope they’re of some help

1. Get in early. Most likely you will have arrived early as an international student, as universities often have an International orientation week before Fresher’s week. Make the most of it and beat the queues by sorting out subjects, bank accounts and registration in that first week. It’s also a great opportunity to explore the more deserted campus, so that you know the layout by the time busy fresher’s week comes around.
2. Be social. The first couple of weeks at university are quite unique, and a new place brings new faces for everyone. Small things like leaving your door open (when you’re around!) and chatting with neighbors are great ways of meeting new people. The friends you make during those first few weeks are often the ones you’ll stick with throughout the first year, so you don’t want to miss out no matter how bad the jet lag is.
3. Join groups. During Fresher’s week you’ll find out about lots of clubs, societies and groups through the university’s union. Ranging from sports, hobbies and cultural, these groups offer the opportunity to meet domestic and international students at the university, as well as engage in great activities.
4. Be prepared for change. The change in country obvious brings out differences to what you’re used to at home. At university it might be the expected study load, structure of lectures or layout of campus. In life, it might be the living conditions away from family, shopping in stores you’ve never heard of before (with strange currency too) or weather that is completely different to back home. Whilst you’ll quickly get used to the differences, over the first few weeks they can be quite a shock – so research what to expect before leaving.
5. Explore. With the study load of university, there’s always the temptation of staying close to uni and keeping on top of work. Don’t forget how far you’ve come to be there: make the most of it – get out there and see the world!