UQ Program: Bachelor of Arts
To get the obvious out of the way first, going on exchange is one of the best things I’ve ever done. Sitting down to write this, it’s impossible to process the number of amazing experiences I’ve had, things I’ve seen and people I’ve met.
I study Arts at University of Queensland, extended major in history. I found it easy enough to organise my courses, even though I went in my last semester (and for anyone wondering, yes going in your last semester does pose a few challenges, but is totally do-able and absolutely worth it). Academically, I found my courses at the University of Glasgow similar to those at home. If anything the workload was less, as the assessment is weighted more heavily toward exams. Don’t expect to do as much work as you would do at home though – if you do you’ll be missing out on too many awesome opportunities.
About Glasgow: don’t believe the shady tales you might hear. It’s a great city (and with only a lot of bias I can say it’s definitely better than Edinburgh!), and the West End in particular (where the uni is) is lots of fun and there is always something happening.
Top Tips:
1) Join the Glasgow University Mountaineering (GUM) Club. Fantastic group of people, and a really good (and cheap) way to see Scotland, England and Wales. They have a trip every second weekend, and cover everything from relaxed walks to multi-pitch climbing and ice climbing in winter.
2) Discover Ashton Lane. Probably unnecessary advice as this place will almost inevitably become your second home. Highlights include the Loft, Ketchup and the Grosvenor Theatre.
3) Get out on weekends. Ryanair may be fun to hate, but you really can get to places for ridiculously cheap. Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin are all less than an hour away.
4) Embrace the cold. I got plenty of snow in my last month, and for an Australian the fascination hardly fades, even when the city grinds to a standstill as a result.
Aside from the immediate enjoyment, I feel like going on exchange is important as part of a broader education and is a great way to challenge yourself. If I can take even a little bit of the spirit of “stuff it, let’s do it, why not?” home with me then I’ll be happy. To sum up with the favourite saying of a Glaswegian friend (you’ll have to imagine the Scottish accent) “it’s got to be done aye.”