Study Abroad: a passport to success
By: Communications
UEA Study Abroad offers students a chance to explore the globe, from a semester to a full year, with over 200 partnerships worldwide. We spoke to three students who ventured abroad to three different continents to tell us how travel broadened their minds and why for them ‘just do it’ was an approach they never regretted.
Oliver Garrod - Australia
During my time in Australia studying International Business Management, I stayed around Perth, and I explored Western Australia with my friends, travelling for camping trips outside of the city to discover the unique wildlife in Australia.
I travelled to an island called Rottnest Island, it's the only place in the world with quokkas, the happiest animal in the world. My friends and I took another daytrip to an island called Penguin Island, named so due to the inhabitants being small blue penguins. Unfortunately, I didn't see any penguins, but I did see a jellyfish and got stung by it (nothing too serious, luckily!)
I also had the opportunity to travel to Bali in Indonesia, which was a quicker plane ride than flying to Sydney. We did a lot of exploring of the island to discover Indonesian culture.
What I most liked about Perth was how diverse and so different it is from the UK. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was how red the dirt was and how arid the climate was. The whole city is right on the coast and the beaches were easily accessible. I was at the beach almost every other day after classes with my friends, and every evening we were there we would always watch the sunset, which was so beautiful.
While I was over there my absolute favourite place that I visited was a place called Point Peron, just south of Perth’s centre. It overlooked the sea and every Saturday I'd drive down there with friends to have a coffee and a cupcake at this small van that would be there, and they were amazing!
Studying abroad was a decision I was very nervous about doing, and going so far away from home for the first time ever was daunting, but once I got there and made friends it became so much easier as we were all in the same boat as exchange students. This experience taught me to be resilient and rely on myself as my family was so far away, and it was up to me to make the most of my time out there and explore as much as I could.
If anyone is unsure about going abroad for a semester or a year, I would say to absolutely do it. It's an opportunity of a lifetime and it's a chance to make friends for life, travel to somewhere new and grow as an individual. You come back as a changed person, it teaches you a new way of life and you learn to adapt to a new place that is right out of your comfort zone. Absolutely do it!
I applied for the Turing Scheme, which gave me a monthly payment that really helped with rent and expenses, meaning I was able to do more. You can also claim back money for flights, health insurance and visa expenses through the Turing Scheme or Student Finance.
The advice that I would give to outgoing students is that when you arrive at your universities, attend all the welcome events and socials, as these are your perfect opportunities to meet people who don't know anyone and are in your shoes too. And if they invite you out to any events or activities, just say YES!
Study International Business Management
Raymond Hickey – Arizona
I did a year abroad at the University of Arizona in my second year of study here at UEA, and I would say to anyone considering a year abroad to just do it. It was an incredible experience. I grew up watching so many TV shows and movies about college life in America, so to actually be able to live it was amazing.
As a psychology student, I was able to study modules that I may not have been able to study at UEA, and I spent some time learning Korean alongside my studies, which was really cool to do. It also gave me the opportunity to learn how to really budget and be completely independent. I had to sort out an American bank account, and get used to converting pounds to dollars.
I think I came away with a lot of personal growth. I figured out what I wanted out of life, I was able to see a different country and it made me realise how big the world is. It really changed my perspective on a few things, I want to explore more and experience new things.
I think my favourite thing was the weather. Arizona is the sunniest state in the US, and it has such an amazing landscape. It was amazing being able to wake up each day and just seeing mountains from my dorm room, it was just really beautiful.
I was able to apply for the Turing Scheme, and that gave me enough money a month to support me with my rent and meal plan, as well as just general spending money, which meant I was able to take part in a lot of activities. I did so much exploring, I was able to go on hikes, go skiing, experience real US sports like basketball and American football.
The UEA Study Abroad team supported me with all of it. They sorted out so much for me, all I really had to do was fill in my personal details, and they told me how much I would get, which was so easy and useful for me. The whole scheme was just so beneficial.
It’s such a great experience and you will not regret it. If you’re thinking about doing it, just go ahead and do it!
Mide Bolarin – Singapore
I stayed on the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) campus while I studied Psychology in Singapore. The campus accommodation was quite nice, and it was a shared room on a level for just girls. The campus accommodation was so cute and it had a very nice community feel, a kind of collegiate system. There are around 23 halls on campus and each one is its little community, there are even interhall events!
My favourite part of the experience was being able to meet people from all around the world. I now have so many friends across the globe, and it is just so lovely to know that I can travel to any country and am likely to know someone there. Because of this, I was able to also get really good recommendations for travelling and was able to experience a more local perspective of the countries I visited in South East Asia.
I was able to learn so much about myself and cultural exchange, and I became more independent and confident in myself. Learning how to travel and organise yourself when crossing country borders, maintaining good health, and having the courage to explore a new country by yourself were all skills I had to develop, and they have really changed me for the better. I now feel so much braver about attempting things, I'm not as scared to do things independently, especially in a new country that is unfamiliar to me.
I would recommend living in a country that truly interests you, whether that’s a country you don't know much about, or one you know everything about, and just want to experience. For me, I had a gut feeling that Singapore was going to bring me many opportunities that weren’t necessarily available to me, and I was right! I found the culture and the geographical location so rewarding and it helped me with the things I wanted to achieve. I would also recommend just trying new and random things on a year abroad. Just do it, because the memories and the people you meet from going out of your comfort zone are ones to last you a lifetime!
The Study Abroad team at UEA were so helpful to me! The team were so easy to contact, despite the eight-hour time difference, which was very comforting at the start of the year. They were also very willing to liaise with NTU if I needed anything, which I really appreciated.
I would say studying abroad is such a wonderful opportunity! It is so life-changing and allows you to really learn more about yourself on a deeper level. It definitely is a challenge, but a rewarding one, and an experience that you will be able to keep with you for a lifetime!
If you're interested in studying abroad, you can read through the UEA brochure here or get in touch with the Study Abroad team.
See Raymond talk through his year at the University of Arizona below: