UQ Program: Bachelor of Arts
In many ways, this chance to do a semester in the UK was a dream come true for me. Growing up in the Asia-Pacific region, this side of the world epitomised what I could only read about, or see pictures of, but not experience for myself. Personally, the draw of this land was plentiful, ranging from the musicals at London’s West End to the stunning lochs and bens of the Scottish highlands. In this short five months, the wonders of this land were my reality!
It would be a massive understatement to say that football is a popular sport in Manchester. It is their way of life here. Even for someone like me who isn’t too much into football, I quickly became infected by the contagious, burning passion for the sport. The whole city celebrates when their teams win, and the city mourn when they suffer defeat. I was even fortunate enough to witness the coronation of Manchester United as they claimed their 19th Premier League championship title at the trademark Old Trafford Stadium. The atmosphere there was unbelievable, and definitely unforgettable!
The academic style and requirements here are somewhat different from what we were used to down under. Doing 3rd year psychology courses here as part of my BA/MBBS programme, I was initially taken aback at the relatively shorter contact time and academic guidance in the University of Manchester, but quickly managed to adapt. The contact sessions were also generally more unstructured and the classes were generally smaller. One may expect a larger degree of independent learning and autonomy here.
In hindsight, the past five months were probably the most exhilarating five months I’ve ever had, and probably the fastest ever five months in my life! The wondrous sights and sounds of the UK and Europe, the insights gained in seminars, the numerous bonds of friendship formed, the various accents from across the land, and even walking up Oxford Road daily from the student halls to lectures. These will be memories I take along and treasure as I go on to the next phase of studies back at UQ, and into my future endeavors.
5 Tips:
• Plan and book your holidays and getaways as early as possible to avoid paying exorbitant prices for trains, flights and accommodations.
• If you’re flying around, the more reliable budget flights include RyanAir, EasyJet and Jet2.
• You might consider getting your own pillows and duvet rather than order it from the accommodations as the ones provided by the accommodations are of pretty low quality.
• When opening a bank account, you do need to get a letter to the bank from the university student services before heading to the bank branch. Also, do not expect the banks to be as efficient as what we have down under; expect at least a week from application for the bank account to be opened.
• You might also want to consider using pay-as-you-go plans for your mobile services; companies like O2 offer plans ranging from five to 15 pounds.