UQ Program: Bachelor of Science/Medicine/Surgery
I have just finished packing up all my stuff in my bedroom here in Glasgow. The last two days have been spent saying goodbye to all the amazing people I’ve met while here on exchange for one semester. Tonight I am meeting up with the other people left here, two of my best friends for our last dinner together. As I write this I am crying because the last five months have been the best of my life and I am sorry to see the end of them. Studying abroad is a fantastic experience, one I am so glad to have had.
I had finished only one year of my six-year BSc/MBBS (Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery) at The University of Queensland when I went on exchange. I was only eighteen and had never lived out of home. Throughout this five months of exchange I have turned nineteen, learnt to cook my own food, wash my own clothes and clean my own shared flat, travelled extensively throughout the United Kingdom and Europe and met many people who have enriched my life.
I think I made a good choice in Glasgow. It is a real “student city” and has a fantastic nightlife and music scene, both of which I enjoy. The people are friendly and have great accents. The weather is not always the best but that, in itself, is often an experience too. The University of Glasgow is very relaxed – typical of the Scottish – and has a stunning campus that I often mistake for Hogwarts. It’s been great getting to know another city, especially one as exciting as Glasgow.
To anyone still deciding whether or not to do an exchange – the answer is yes. I would recommend an exchange semester, especially one at Glasgow, to all but I warn you now to be prepared: it will change you.