Liyanga's Exchange to Lancaster University | England




Going on student exchange had been a dream of mine for a very long time. Ever since year 10 when we were given the opportunity to go to on a language exchange to live with a host family for two months, I have wanted to travel to a far away country on my own and experience what life was like in a completely different culture. And finally, 4 years later, here I am! I hopped on a plane to England and landed 25 hours later! But it was totally worth it to have the journey of a lifetime that shaped me into the person I am today. I was so incredibly excited to be able to go on exchange and it was one of the best decisions of my life, and I’m glad that the experience lived up to my expectations. 



Lancaster University offered a shuttle service from Manchester airport straight to campus which was amazing as it meant that all us international students didn’t have to fluster about for a taxi or pay the extortionate price to make the journey to campus. And waiting for this shuttle in the few hours I had been in the country, was where I met my first friend of the trip! As it turns out, we had both actually been on the same flight into Manchester too! She was an exchange student from Canada and from that moment on we were inseparable. Even crazier, we were both in the same college on campus and lived two floors away from each other all semester.  



It all began by exploring the city we were in, Lancaster! It was such a quaint little town, mainly a student-based town, which meant tons of student discounts and a great night life. Public transport is really good between campus and town, which is about 15 mins away, and the taxi fares within town are good when you can split it between about 5 people! Visiting Lancaster Castle, Williamson Park, the river and just walking around town, really made me appreciate the differences between Perth and Lancaster and realise how lucky I was to be able to travel across the world and study and experience a different culture. Plus, I was able to enjoy my first snow on campus!




One of the best things I did while abroad, was join the Lancaster University Study Abroad Society, formed for Lancaster students wanting to study abroad as well as welcoming incoming exchange students. The committee was super helpful and gave all of us a welcoming talk during orientation week to help us acclimatise to the atmosphere and give us so handy tips on travelling in Europe and student hacks around campus. It was really reassuring knowing that there were people there that were willing to help and knew what we were going through as they had been on exchange at some point as well. It was a great way to meet fellow exchange students as well, and I met a lot of people from around the world, including some great Aussies too! Although, I had the most incredibly diverse flat which was amazing. There were 5 boys, a Danish, an Argentinian, two Chinese and a Greek and 2 girls, a Chinese and a Mancunian! With some of these incredible people, I was able to travel around the UK and visit some amazing places. The Lake District, Manchester, York and Glasgow were a few of the places I was able to visit during semester. After semester ended, I spent longer exploring Edinburgh, London and Paris which was incredible.




Along with all the amazing travel, I had the opportunity to study at the number one ranked university in the UK in 2016 and 2017 and study units related to my degree that were not offered at Murdoch. This provided me with a great opportunity to broaden my view academically and experience a different teaching system that pushed me to work outside of my comfort zone and adapt to new situations. The soft skills I gained on exchange were invaluable too, during group projects, talking to staff and organising travel. All in all, it was the experience of a lifetime that developed me academically, emotionally and mentally. I would do it all again if I could, in a heartbeat! If you are planning on going on exchange, trust me, it’s the best decision you will ever make. 


- Liyanga studied abroad at the University of Lancaster in the UK 

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