Christine's Exchange to Nottingham Trent University | England
My name is Christine and in semester 2, 2018 I studied abroad at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in England. At Murdoch I am Majoring in Criminology and Minoring in Cyber Forensics.
The key factors for me choosing to study abroad in England were . . .
I’ve always wanted to travel and live in the UK and
Europe, which is one of the reasons I chose my host university. Being based in
the UK was perfect because English is the main language and it was close to
London, where a few of my friends lived. It also made travelling to other
countries nearby much easier and cheaper. My host university offered really interesting
units that tailored my Criminology degree to areas of interest for me. I also
wanted to be based in the UK because the legal and policing systems are similar
to Australia, so the content in the units was still relevant to me.
I really enjoyed the university learning
environment. If the content for one of the units was 2 hours, they would have
two separate 1 hour lectures; which I found much more manageable. The content was also contemporary and
relevant, so it was easy to stay motivated because it was all really
interesting. NTU had a massive athletic culture; it was really fun to get
involved because it was much easier to make friends in these environments. I
joined a dance club, and everyone went out for drinks every Wednesday it was
really fun. There were often a lot of markets or activities planned at NTU, a
huge range of food fairs and festive activities it was good fun going to uni
every day. My workload was about I had 2 classes every day except Friday (which
was perfect because I could travel more on weekends).
A little about the city I lived in, Nottingham . . .
Nottingham was a
small city, easy to navigate but big enough to host a number of fun activities
and attractions. The main square always made an effort to host a seasonal
market especially for events like Halloween and Christmas. The tram was the
most effective and cheapest transport method or walking (but I did live fairly
close to everything). I loved walking to NTU, I would get to walk through two
really beautiful parks and it was a really enjoyable walk (especially when I
first arrived in the warmer weather). The annual Nottingham Goose Fair was
similar to the Perth Royal Show but on a much larger scale. My roommate and I
went and enjoyed the carnival food and rides; it was a lot of fun. One of my
favourite food places was Kabul Express, an Afghan restaurant that had the best
chicken Biryani ever. Five guys had the best burgers, and it was definitely a
hangover cure.
The best parts about my exchange experience were . . .
It’s too hard to narrow down what the best parts of my exchange
experience were so I’ll just mention a few memorable points
- Meeting new people is probably pretty cliché, but it really was
one of the best parts of studying and travelling abroad. I loved making new
friends and learning about their culture.
- I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and did a lot of
activities and travelling on my own, which really increased my independence and
confidence. I took up different classes outside of NTU but within the
Nottingham community to meet new people and try new things. I tried a variety
of classes including dancing, yoga, and painting. There was a weekly community
meditation group that I went to a few times, and I volunteered once a week
which was definitely a highlight experience.
- A memorable experience was watching the AFL Grand Final West
Coast Eagles vs Collingwood at a bar in London. It was one of the best
atmospheres I’ve ever been around for a Grand Final. The entire venue was
filled with Australians and staff organized a Bunnings sausage sizzle.
- I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and I went to The Cauldron pub in
London with a friend of mine. It’s a magic themed immersive experience pub; you
get given robes to wear and wands to use. It’s interactive and you to create
your own cocktails following a potion recipe, it was amazing!
Struggles whilst on exchange and how I dealt with challenges . . .
When I first arrived in Nottingham I felt nervous
and it took me about a month to feel comfortable and adjust to living on my own
in a new city. Although British culture is different from Australian culture,
it’s not completely dissimilar. It is less of a cultural shock and more of a
slight adjustment and amusement at the difference in language and how things
are done. I remember being in a self serve check out at ASDA trying to find
‘cucumber’ and having to hold it up and ask the check-out assistant “What do
you call this??”. I found out the English call it a courgette.
I found that volunteering at St Paul Catholic
Church’s soup kitchen actually reduced my homesickness because it connected me
to the community and gave me a sense of belonging and purpose.
I was also fortunate enough to have a group of close
friends living in London and Paris, so having that strong social support
network definitely made any homesickness a lot easier to deal with.
My accommodation whilst on exchange . . .
I missed out on living in the student halls
coordinated through the university, but because I arrived in Nottingham sooner
than most other students I was able to secure a room in a young share house
really close to the city centre and the university. I lived in a suburb called
Forrest Fields with 6 other roommates who I got on with well. I stayed in
London at my friends’ house while I found a house in Nottingham using the
website “Spareroom”. My advice in terms of accommodation would depend on the
living arrangements you prefer. The student halls have excellent locations and
are much more social, with more of a party scene. They have great support
available for the residents as well. Because the age range is roughly between
18-22 I found it more beneficial being 25 to stay in a share house arrangement.
There was a better balance between parties and down time which I much
preferred.
Funding my exchange experience . . .
I knew I wanted to
study abroad a little more than a year before I went away, so I worked and
saved to fund my exchange experience. As part of the study abroad exchange
program application process, I was automatically entered into the running for one
of the Gerald Frank Brown scholarship. I had to attend an interview where the
questions asked were aimed at exploring my motivations for waiting to study
abroad, how I would handle challenges faced, and what I would bring to the
program. Soon after, I was so grateful and excited to find I was awarded one of
the scholarships. Even with my savings and the scholarship I also took
advantage of the OS Help Loan for extra security.
Volunteering while on exchange . . .
The visa I was on
would not allow me to work, and I really missed working. So I started
volunteering at St Paul Catholic
Church’s soup kitchen. I really loved this as it felt like giving back to the
community that had taken me in and given me the opportunity to study and live
in its beautiful city. I got to meet people from all walks of life, and it was
a really grounding experience. I learnt more about British culture and got to
share my Australian culture with the people I met and worked alongside. At
Christmas time I attended their Christmas Carol event, and while I’m not
religious it was really enjoyable and they gave me a pendent of St Mary as a
thank you for working with them.
I was also involved in
a volunteer day project coordinated through NTU that involved assisting at a
local farm, Stonebridge City Farm. The tasks were mainly around assisting in
building new animal enclosures, and afterwards we got to spend time with all
the animals which was really fun. It was a good opportunity to meet other NTU
students and be outdoors.
Travelling while on exchange . . .
I travelled for
about 2 months prior to studying, and took mini trips throughout my semester on
the weekends. Before settling in Nottingham I travelled to the Netherlands
(Amsterdam), Czech Republic (Prague), France (Paris), and Germany (Berlin, Nuremburg,
Rothenburg, & Munich). I also made trips within the UK. My Mum, Aunty,
& Uncle travelled over for a Europe trip and they were able to meet up with
me to explore Oxford. On another weekend I travelled to the Scotland Highlands
organized through a student support organization CityLife Nottingham. A few close
school friends live in London, so I was lucky enough to visit them about every
second weekend or plan trips away with them. One weekend they came up and
visited Nottingham and I felt really excited to show them where I had been living.
Another weekend we all travelled to Vienna in Austria together, which was
incredibly beautiful to see in the colder weather.
My advice to someone who is considering embarking on exchange . . .
· Biggest piece of advice would be
to plan ahead
o I’d recommend researching early
about where you want to study and what classes are available
o Planning early allows you to save
more as well and work hard at the units you’re currently studying at Murdoch to
achieve good grades
·
Plan/explore activities beyond
drinking. Drinking and
partying is a huge part of the social aspect of studying abroad and it is one
of the best parts. However, I absolutely loved doing activities outside of this
which allowed me to explore the city in new ways and meet different types of
people. Balancing the parties with other activities made my experience a
million times more amazing.
·
Travel! Studying in the UK meant it was relatively cheap to travel
within the UK and Europe. The benefit of planning and saving far in advance was
being able to travel so much.
- Christine studied abroad at Nottingham Trent University in England
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