Why
did you decide to study abroad?
Even though my time at the UofA has been exceptional
and just amazing, I felt that there was something missing, and I soon realized
that it was exposure to other cultures and ways of thinking.
What
did you really learn by going abroad? How was it impacted the rest of your
college experience/your personal life/your job search?
The
modules here are absolutely amazing, and I enjoy going to lectures. Our
lecturers are great role models in their fields, and you just hope to be a bit
like them in the future. However, I think what I have learned the most is how
to be more outgoing and confident in myself, which I find funny because I
always thought I had been. Some of my lectures require class participation and
talking about your opinion that some people might not agree on, but it has been
amazing how much more comfortable I have become with that and how much more
open I have become to the opposing views. Being confident and outgoing is
important in anything you are going to do in your life, and I’m happy that this
experience has helped me with that.
What
was the biggest hurdle in getting abroad and how did you overcome it?
The biggest hurdle was definitely the financial
aspect of the program. I applied for scholarships, but due to many unavoidable
reasons, I didn’t receive the necessary amount to cover even half of it. I was
able to overcome this with the support of my parents. They helped me by taking
out a loan, and they are currently helping me pay for it until I can do it
myself.
What
is one piece of advice would you give to other students thinking about studying
abroad?
Find out what programs there are both from our
university as well as outside programs and do research over those universities.
When I decided to study at the University of Essex, I mainly looked at the
courses available and compared the prices to other universities, but I never
bothered to see how involved students could become at the university or how
student driven they were. Now that I’m here, I have learned more about the
university I almost chose, and I realized that it wouldn’t have been the fit
for me. The University of Essex is so student driven and purposely built in a
way that it is easy to make great friends. The university truly cares about
their students, and it is very visible through the different facilities and
programs available for us.
What
did you learn about yourself/your culture by going abroad?
There
is always that misconception that Americans are either really loved or really
hated by other cultures, and I soon found out that many of the foreign friends
I have made are just very curious of our culture and our way of living.
Politics always comes up because they are genially curious of how our country
works and our politicians. Sometimes they even know much more than I do in
topics like these, and the conversations we have over my way of living back
home and their way is always interesting and usually a good laugh.
Where
did you live while abroad?
I live in the accommodations on campus, and it was
the best decision I have made. When choosing, I went off the price of the
accommodations and did choose the one that cost the least. I was hesitant of
living in a flat with 15 other people where we only had 4 bathrooms, 2 showers
and one kitchen, but I soon realized how much better it was than those
accommodations with less people. We quickly became good friends and made many
new friends with the help of each other. We joined societies together, go to
the gym together, joined sports, and introduced friends we have made to each
other. Some of our friends are actually students who live in those
accommodations with less people, and they are over at our flat more because
they feel more at home with us. Some have even said they wished they had chosen
South Towers.
There rarely has been an issue where I have had to
wait for the shower because we all have different schedules. I have always been
able to cook my meals when I wanted to, and there has always been room in the
kitchen for all of us as well as other friends who might have invited over. A
great thing about this flat is that we were placed with other exchange students
so we were all going through the same situations like being in a whole new
culture, figuring out what things mean (crisps=chips, chips=fries,
trousers=pants, pants=underwear, etc), figuring out where to buy our groceries,
clothes, etc, learning how to cook new meals, overcoming being homesick, and
most importantly how the university works.
Was
studying abroad expensive? How did you pay for your experience?
Honestly, it has been a bit expensive, mainly
because of the exchange rate, but I have easily been able to stay within my
budget thanks to smart shopping. We have learned where to find the best prices
on food, clothes, and simple household items. I decided to take out a loan to
pay for the majority of my expenses through a local bank in my hometown all thanks
to my parents. We knew that this would be an excellent opportunity, as well as
a once in a lifetime one, and we felt that it was worth taking out a loan to
cover those expenses my scholarships didn’t.
--
To find out more about the Exchange program with University
of Essex, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/exchange/essex
If you need help getting started with study abroad, take a
look at the first steps: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/first-steps.php.
