One Hull of a Time in Hull, England! Past Review

By (Art: Studio, University of Northern Iowa) for

University of Hull: Hull - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
If I could do it again, I would in a heartbeat.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The University of Hull is a great place to find yourself, and meet so many interesting people. You lean to go with the flow, and not worry about all the little things in your life. There were quite a few differences in the educational aspect between the British and American schools. The British classes are only 2 hours a week, meeting only once a week with at most 2 papers and a final. The grading scale is also different from the ones here, I still have no idea how it works, but everything about it is different.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

?

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a flat with 4 other international students, basically the majority of the street that I lived on was international students. This made it a lot easier to meet people from all around the world. Although it would get quite loud at night with everyone coming back from the bar and nightclub, you got use to it quickly. The flats were not acceptable when we first got there. The flat that I was in did not have a shower, and once we got that fixed the shower would leak. The housekeeping staff were also really bad, they did not ever sweep and would not clean the bathrooms to the extent that they should have been. They were suppose to clean for 1.5 hours, but would spend maybe 30 min total for a whole house. But we were supplied with sheets/ pillow desk etc, which was nice, but we did have to buy silverware, plates etc.

* Food:

There are a lot of nice little fresh produce shops, and bakeries that you can get a lot of fresh food from. But do beware that there are not a lot of normal (American foods) that you would be able to get easily.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The field trips that were arranged by the ISA were nice, however there were quite a few times that they either cancelled or relocated their trips or did not have enough buses for the amount of people. Lets just say people were not happy.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Safety is not bad, they are very paranoid on people keeping their windows open, but other than that there are a lot of police, so you are always protected. For the health care I did not need anything, but you are required to register with a doctor. It is really easy they have the clinics come to the university then you just fill out a paper.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The people
  • The Classes
* What could be improved?
  • Signing up for classes
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? This is an amazing university, it is well worth your time to experience this place.