UQ Program: Bachelor of Arts
As a Bachelor of Arts student majoring in English Lit/Linguistics, I assumed that my options were pretty much open, subject-wise, despite unconfirmed rumours that the linguistics department at the University of Sussex was shutting down (it did, but it’s now part of the English department).
Academically, the University of Sussex is basically the same as UQ, but slightly stricter about class attendance/getting sick – if you can’t hand in assignments or get to class there’s a long bureaucratic process to go through, the ominously titled ‘Mitigating Evidence’. Everyone in the offices were really friendly and helpful, though, and are happy to lend a hand if you do need help. Be warned that if you do go to Sussex for only the autumn semester, there’s a high probability that you’ll have to hand in assessment in the following January, which is… unpleasant.
Like anything in life, the returns of going on exchange depend on how much you put in. Of course, the UK’s location means you should definitely exploit its closeness to Europe, I went to Madrid and Paris, both of which were really cool, although people in Madrid are nicer and are more understanding if you don’t speak Spanish.
Living in Brighton was probably the best part of the trip, as it’s really laid back, and everyone’s super nice. If you walk around a lot, after a week you’ll start to know where everything is, and pretty soon you feel like a local! It’s pretty close to London (an hour if you get the fast train), so it’s nothing big to go to London for a gig or just to hang out. Money-wise, the only things that are more expensive than Australia are accommodation and groceries, which are pretty major, but if you take care of them early you can live like a king!
Here’s a list of some things that might come in handy:
- Trains are ridiculously expensive unless you book in advance (like, two or more weeks in advance), mainly online. Getting a 16-25 Railcard is probably the best thing you can do, as you get about 40% off all tickets.
- If it snows in Brighton, seize the day! No matter what time of day or night, you should always go out when it first snows, because it will then melt into dirty slush the next day, and may never snow again.
- If you’re travelling, http://www.skyscanner.net is easily the best flight comparison website, albeit sometimes at the risk of flying with an airline that nobody’s ever heard of…
- Hang out in the Lanes, particularly the North Laines, they’re awesome! All the best shops and cafes are here, and they’re really pretty at night.
- Go to the Lewes Bonfire Night if you’re around at that time. Lewes is a tiny town about half an hour from Brighton, the only thing which ever happens there is the annual bonfire, which is surreal. Competing societies basically try to one-up each other by parading through the streets with wheelbarrows of fire, flaming Popes, and basically anything else that will catch alight. If you do go, GO REALLY EARLY, as in 2-3pm, as any time after that the trains are literally the most horrible thing you can imagine.