An experience I’ll treasure forever ! June 23, 2023
By Grace G (Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Monash University) - abroad from 01/28/2023 to 06/17/2023 with
University of Liverpool: Liverpool - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
The most value experience I gained was independence. This was my first time living out of home and at in a university environment. Therefore this experience allowed me to stand on my own two feet and step out of my comfort zone. In turn, I’ve made lifelong friends all over the world and have much more independence.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
At the University of Liverpool, lectures were offered in person whereas at my home university they are limited to online. I really liked physically going to classes as I feel I more effectively absorbed the material. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Host country administration was excellent. Especially during the first few weeks of semester when my modules had to be changed around a lot, the respective head of departments replied to emails promptly and set up meetings so that I was organised with modules as soon as possible. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I love living in the Tudor close accommodation. It was professionally cleaned on a regular basis. It’s also exclusive to exchange students which meant I met a lot of like minded travellers. The shower pressure wasn’t the best though. |
| * Food: |
The kitchen in Tudor close had all the equipment necessary to cook. The bins are collected 3 times a week and it was cleaned twice a week, making it a harmonious living space. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I attended a football game, a quintessential part of British culture. There are always fun festivals and events happening in Liverpool; I went to the Saint Patrick’s day parade and lots of events for Eurovision 2023!! Apart from that exploring the local parks, markets and pubs also have me a sense of the scouse culture ! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I have no real life experience with the healthcare system but I did get an NHS account set up through the university. This was very easy to do. |
| * Safety: |
I always felt safe in Liverpool. Some nights it would be better to Uber or find a ride home rather than walking back to your accommodation. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
These past few months have been the best of my life! Liverpool is an amazing city for students and that’s evident in the culture embedded in cafes, pubs and events throughout Liverpool. The University of Liverpool team made it affordable to stay in student accommodation and a very easy transition from Australia to the UK. |
Finances
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* 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) |
Groceries in the UK can be very cheap depending on the supermarket you choose and what you buy; it’s very easy to save and set a strict budget for yourself. There are also lots of student deals at cafes and pubs around the university of Liverpool to get cheap food and drinks. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Roughly £110 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Choose a supermarket wisely, Lidl is really good. Avoid the Tesco express because it is much more expensive. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I think I was very prepared for this experience and had done a lot of research so nothing really shocked me. Although it was a little harder than I thought to keep in touch with friends and family back home, especially when the time difference was 9 hours. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
CHEM152 |
| Course Department: | Chemistry |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | I found this module challenging but with hard work I could understand the coursework. I really enjoyed the practical labs and the professors were extremely helpful and welcoming to me as an international student |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I had no issues transferring credit |
