UQ Program: Bachelor of Arts/Law
Studying in the politics school at Nottingham was a fantastic experience. The wide range of courses on offer is enough without mentioning the impressive program of guest speakers, social events and incredibly supportive teaching staff. The school offers an incredible range of courses across all politics disciplines. I took two British Politics classes and another more general theoretical subject. While it is tempting to take more general subjects that you can easily apply back home I recommend taking at least one British Politics subject as many of the exchange students I talked to wished they did. You don’t need a huge amount of prior knowledge and it gives you great comparative examples to use when you get home. I only had 7 contact hours (usually a 1 hr lecture and 1 hr seminar per subject) spread over 4 days which gave me plenty of spare time to enjoy being a student and campus life. The Nottingham student Union is amazing. They have the largest number of clubs and societies of any University in the UK. I joined RAMSOC the Rambling and Hillwalking Society. They do walks every Sunday in the nearby Peak District and cater for all abilities. They’ll pick you up from wherever you’re staying on campus and usually finish with a real ale (or tea if you prefer) in a traditional English pub. I also went on a weekend away with them to the Lake District. The Athletics Union heavily subsidises university sports teams making it affordable for those saving money for travelling. I played on the Womens Football 2nd Team and had some memorable bus trips to other universities for away games, post game jacket potatoes which were always supplied by the home university and crazy socials including the infamous Wednesday nights at Crises where all the sports teams let loose after their various wins and losses that day. There is an intense rivalry between the University of Nottingham and the other Nottingham University, Trent which is played out every year in the charity varsity series. From football played in the stadium of the oldest football league club in the world, Notts County, to the less traditional but fiercely competitive American Football it is a Nottingham experience not to be missed. Nottingham has a great student night life with a different bar or club offering student nights each day of the week. Be prepared to pay cover charges for almost everywhere but this is compensated with ridiculously cheap drink prices. If clubbing is not your thing and you prefer live music then Nottingham is a great city to be in. There are loads of little cafes and bars with live bands and acoustic nights. The Alley cafe is a must: it has free music and great vegetarian food. For bands I’d check out Bodega Social Club which has a cool bar and beer garden downstairs and an intimate live music space upstairs. You can usually catch your favourite bands from back home for a fraction of the price or discover up and coming local musicians. I stayed in Nightingale Hall: a catered hall on University Park campus. Nightingale Hall is known on campus as one of the better halls with great living spaces and huge rooms including a double bed. The campus accommodation in Nottingham is much cheaper than the on-campus accommodation offered at UQ and is well worth the expense for its convenience. For off campus accommodation friends of mine lived in the self-catered halls at Broadgate Park which is just across the road from the main Campus at University Park. This is a great option if you don’t like the idea of hall food but still want a hall atmosphere. Believe the hype, a semester abroad is a fantastic experience and valuable addition to your degree. While discovering a new culture you get to experience university in a completely different way. Nottingham University is a fantastic place to do this not only for its reputation as a prestigious academic institution but its exciting campus life. At Nottingham they’re not just selling degrees but a university experience and one you are unlikely to forget.