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.

- 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.

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.

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.

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!

1. Plan Ahead:  One of the most important ways of staying organised is careful forward planning. Parts of the application process can take months, and there are often restrictions on how far through your degree you can be to be accepted into an exchange program. The best way to go would to get involved in researching universities and completing applications as soon as possible, leaving as much time for everything else as you can.
2. Talk to people:  Talking to as many people as possible about your exchange can remove much of the uncertainty about traveling to and living at a new place. Every that you can think of, including friends, family, lecturers and student support at university, has the possibility of contributing valuable information.
3. Finance:  Insuring a reliable source of money is essential when traveling overseas, especially for the first few days. Most people split their money across various types, including travelers cheques, cash, travel specific debit-cards and credit cards. Don’t rely on being able to send bank drafts initially, because it can take weeks for an account to be set up (especially at the beginning of semester).
4. Dedication:  While it may seem like a lot of effort, and troubles may sometime make you feel like giving up, persistence and dedication will lead to an experience of a life time. From what I’ve experienced, the effort involved initially is completely worth it.
5. Find others:  There will most likely be other students from your area heading for the same university. By keeping in touch with them, you can share tips and advice.Having friends on arrival makes the first few days in your new city a lot easier!

Exams have been and gone for me now. Looking back, they seemed harder then what I was used to for mid semester exams. Less preparation material was provided coming up to the exams, once again putting the responsibility almost entirely on the student. Something that seems a lot more prevalent here than back in Australia, and it seems I’m going to have to get used to it. It was definitely good to experience the differences before study for the final exams takes place.

One thing that I noticed is that, despite them being in the same faculty, the two schools that I take classes in here aren’t as synchronised together as I’m used to. This resulted in things like exam/lecture clashes and days off being scheduled after the exam week had taken place, rather than before/during. It seems here that most people pick a single major, and solely do the modules from that school, which is quite different to the amount of free electives we get back home.

Despite classes heating up, I’ve still made time to get a bit of travel in amongst it all. I find the location here amazing, theres things to see everywhere. There’s plenty of groups here that organise fun, cheap trips for international students. This makes it even easier for students to see the country. I’m in the midst of planning my winter break, which should involve some fabulous travel around Europe. Something exciting to look forward to throughout the rest of this semester

Since starting, I’ve encountered a few differences between classes here and in Australia. The assessment is structured much differently, with the overall grade usually being made up of 80% from the final exam and 20% from coursework and assignments. Most of my classes back home have been a 60/40 ratio. I’ve seen this difference reflected in the module material, as they seem more theoretical than my past classes, which included a lot of practical work which was needed to complete assignments.

As for the actual facilities that the lectures take place in, everything is much the same. Whilst most rooms have computers for the use of PowerPoint, some of my lectures still make primary use Overhead Transparencies. The buildings you need to be in are much the same distance apart and you’re given the same, impossible 10 minutes of time to get from one side of campus to the other.

Study load is something I can’t really touch on until later in the semester, once everything gets more underway. In Australia, I took 4 subjects per semester -in Leeds, I’m taking 7. Both is the full-time load, and have much the same amount of contact time. So I think it will end up being similar, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

During the first of these days of activities, I finally ran into some other Australian students. Though it had been great meeting people from around the globe, I think homesickness would have set in pretty soon if it wasn’t for hearing some familiar voices. We met for a drink and a chat later that night.

The next day was the first of Freshers week, so the Student Residence was packed with parents dropping their kids off to their new home. It’d been quite around here for the days prior, with only a few international students and early arriver’s around. Everyone I have met has been incredibly friendly, so it’s been pretty easy to settle in. Being an international student certainly helps the initial conversation with domestic students, there’s always plenty to talk about.

Freshers week was great fun. I was a bit skeptical at first, as I’d been through it all before, but they make a much bigger deal about it over here. Needless to say, my new flat mates were keen to party right throughout the week, and I happily obliged. Unlike them, I had hardly any Induction to do as I was doing 2nd year modules, so I got it pretty easy. The week concluded and you could tell everyone had a bit of “Fresher’s Flu” from all the late nights, but it was worth it.

I’ve only had two classes so far, so I’ll reflect on all the differences at the end of this week. Cheerio!