UQ Program: Bachelor of Engineering
Joining the University of Nottingham in their second semester (Semester 1 for us) meant hitting the ground running with classes starting the day after arrival. It took a couple of days of battling through jet-lagged sign-ons before the reality of my experience began setting in.
The Nottingham university campus is absolutely stunning and the seasonal change after coming back from the month long mid semester break is something you wont see in Australia. The city of Nottingham revolves around its students, who make up about a large percentage of the populace, and as such living expenses (and alcohol) are much cheaper than Australia. I stayed at Cripps Hall, which is one of the 13 catered halls on campus. I would highly recommend hall accommodation as you’re immediately introduced to a whole host of pommies, and the convenience of location will make your semester much easier. I would also highly recommend attending the organised exchange student events, as this allows you to meet and make lasting friendships with people from all over the world.
I am a third year chemical engineering student, and I, along with a lot of the other exchange students, found it quite difficult to organise subjects, as you do not find out if you can actually undertake your chosen modules until you go to sign on. The only advice I can give here is to try and give yourself as much flexibility as possible with electives before coming over.
Its hard to recommend a budget whilst over here, living in Nottingham is pretty cheap but you’ll find you can spend a lot of money very quickly while travelling.
All in all, I can say without a doubt that this has been the best 6 months of my life, and while you’ll have an awesome time anywhere you go on exchange, I do highly recommend the University of Nottingham.
Andrew Stuart