Shwmae!
My name is Anna, and I am a third-year bachelor’s student in International Environment and Development Studies. I had the amazing opportunity to spend my fifth semester abroad in gorgeous Aberystwyth (often just referred to as Aber), in Wales. Since I was young, I have always dreamed of going on exchange to discover and explore a different country, city and university and immerse myself in a new culture. I got the opportunity to leave my Ås bubble (which I also love) for a little while. Therefore, I was able to live in lovely Aberystwyth between idyllic mountains and the sea.
In the middle of Wales, in the picturesque countryside between idyllic mountains and the calm and wild sea, lies the marvelous Aberystwyth. It's the perfect place for you if you're looking for a small-town idyll with lots of students, quaint pubs, cute little stores, jaw-dropping views and, of course, lots of sheep! In my opinion, Wales is such an underrated country. When you're there, you should definitely take every opportunity to travel and explore Wales, especially Snowdonia National Park.
I tried to approach the semester abroad without any real ideas or expectations, but I think I unconsciously had some. Unfortunately, I was ill for quite a long time at the beginning, which made it a bit more difficult to get to know people. If that's the case for you too, don't let it get you down! I'm sure you'll find great people. It took me a little while to settle in completely, but eventually, I found great people whom I love. We were a lot of Erasmus students and it was cool to do so many things together, whether it was big or small adventures. I would try to take in as many opportunities as possible, be it events, trips, parties, new skills, academic development, karaoke and games evenings and much more. But at the same time, I also think it's important to take time for yourself and not beat yourself up when you can’t make it or just need some time for yourself. In the end, I didn't think it would be so tough to say goodbye to Aberystwyth and to my lovely new friends. Unfortunately, it's uncertain if and when I'll see them again, but that's part of the experience of living abroad.
Going on exchange will broaden your horizon herondously, even if you sometimes do not notice or expect it. I think Aberystwyth is an insanely great place to spend your time abroad. But beware: There is a huge hill you have to walk up when you go from the town up to the student accommodation. If that doesn't bother you and you like the rest of the description of Aberystwyth, you're ready for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Wales!
Courses:
At Aberystwyth University I was in the International Politics Department, and courses are usually 10 ECTS each. Overall, I found that the courses were easy to follow. I just had some difficulties understanding the grading scale, as it doesn't follow the scale from A to F. It is divided as follows: First-class (70% above), Upper second-class (60-69%), Lower second-class (50-59%), Third class (40-49%), Fail (less than 40%). The assignments I had were mostly essays for mid-term and final papers. Sometimes these assignments are scheduled quite close together. Towards the end of the semester, I would recommend good time management in order to have a more stress-free exchange. Most lectures were only 50 minutes long and I had additional seminars or workshops each week. I have been taking IP23820 The European Union: Politics, Policies, Problems, IQ20220 Intervention and Humanitarianism and one course from the Geography and Earth Sciences Department: GS37520 Urban Risk and Environmental Resilience. In my experience, the staff at Aberystwyth was very kind, and you could always contact and approach them if you had any questions or issues. Unlike NMBU, you have to scan your student card for every lecture, seminar, workshop etc, and if you miss too many classes, you will be contacted, just as a check-in, if you are okay. But if you rarely go to your classes, we were told that you might fail the course (haven’t heard of anyone failing though).
My favourite course was the Intervention and Humanitarianism course with Dr. Katy Budge. The course uncovered traditional humanitarianism and its colonial history associated with white saviourism, white supremacy and white superiority and ended, for me personally on a hopeful note, with grassroots approaches to humanitarianism. I would describe the course as critical, and it also showed alternatives to humanitarianism and made me more critical of the importance of solidarity and looking for local initiatives to assist and empower people.
I chose the Urban Risk and Environmental Resilience course because I was enrolled in a resilience course at NMBU and wanted to explore the topic in more depth, and look at it from a different angle. In general, I enjoyed the course and learnt more about the urban theory perspective. However, I had the feeling that the theories were not dealt with in great depth and were rather on the surface level. I would have liked more cities of the ‘Global South’ to be covered and the topic to be deepened through decolonial theory. I had hoped that the resilience course would give me more hope, but unfortunately it made me realise even more how little is invested in resilience of cities and the even greater struggles we are already facing and will get worse in the future. Nevertheless, I learned a lot and found it interesting to analyse different cities and their environmental challenges through the lens of human geography.
The course on the European Union was a bit of a disappointment for me, because I had different expectations. I would describe it as an introductory course to the EU and its institutions. We talked a lot about integration theory and some ‘problems’ that the EU was and is facing. Sometimes, I felt that the course was not critical enough in certain aspects. I also found it shocking that we didn't talk about climate change, the most serious crisis of our time, which will exacerbate many crises, problems and situations. However, I think that this part will be taken into account when the course is organised in the future. All in all, I still learnt new things.
Personal Development:
During my semester abroad, I learnt to adapt to a new culture, a new place and new people. I stepped out of my comfort zone and got to know a lot of new people, especially other exchange students. I have stepped more outside my normal bubble and got to know various people with different views and perspectives. It was a somewhat nerve-wracking but also very exciting experience making new friends in such a short time. The good thing about Erasmus is making friends all over the world, and one day taking the opportunity to be reunited. Even though many friendships are formed based on the short time of Erasmus, I hope that some friendships will last and that we will see each other again soon.
I think I've generally learnt to be more open to new people and to take the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. The Welsh/British culture is very friendly, helpful and open, and I was able to make a few local mates there. A semester abroad is the perfect opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
During my exchange, I also noticed that I really missed being actively involved because I didn't find so much activism in Aber. I also realised that the environmental focus in my academic learning is very important to me and that I therefore, missed the Ås environment. I am very grateful for my time here in Aber: for all the amazing people I have met, for the travels, activities and events and for the beautiful Welsh landscape. However, I am also beyond excited to be reunited with my friends in Ås again! <33
About the University:
Aberystwyth University was established in 1872 and has around 6.000 students. The International Politics Department in Aber is the first in the world! The university performs very well in various rankings. Aberystwyth University was 1st in England and Wales for student satisfaction. If you are accommodated at student housing, it will take 5-10 minutes to go to the main campus and 20-30 minutes to walk into the city centre.
In Aber, you have the opportunity to participate in many student organisations and immerse yourself in student life; I was able to participate in the student orchestra, for example. I would also take the chance to participate in events that your faculty organises. For example, the Faculty of International Politics organised some film screenings, such as The London Recruits (followed by a discussion with the director and one of the London recruits) or a meeting with the Cuban ambassador. I also took part in Stitched Voices, a group that stitches political messages. There are many things to do and explore, I am certain you will enjoy it!
Fun Fact: King Charles studied at Aberystwyth for one semester to learn Welsh before becoming Prince of Wales.
Housing:
I lived in Pentre Jane Morgan (PJM) with five other international students. PJM are cute little houses and I would say it's a very nice experience living there, especially because most of the exchange students live there, and it's a social centre. However, the facilities are not as nice as in Norway and occasionally, there have been problems. Luckily, there is a 24-hour security service, if there are any problems, you can report them and they will try to fix them as soon as possible. If you decide to stay there, I recommend going for room F as it is the largest room for the same price! Overall, I would say that the living conditions are lower, but the prices are more expensive than in Norway.
Language Development:
My Bachelor's degree is taught in English, so I had no problems following the English content. I learnt a few new British expressions and maybe got a little British accent (or not). Unfortunately, I didn't learn that much Welsh. Nevertheless, it was incredibly interesting to learn more about the history of the country and their language.
I took the opportunity to take a French course through Lifelong Learning (every semester you can take a course for free, choosing from various fields) and had such cool people as my classmates. I learnt a tiny bit of French and was able to practice with my new French friends. A tandem programme was also launched through Lifelong Learning, which I took part in. I can only recommend looking into the opportunities offered by Lifelong Learning.
Paperwork and Preperations:
As an EU citizen staying in the UK for less than 6 months, I did not need to apply for a visa. However, I have heard that this has changed recently, so you should check the visa regulations. SiT made the paperwork and preparations easy to complete and the deadlines easy to meet. The Global Opportunity Office in Aberystwyth was also a great help and always looked after us exchange students.
Are you content with your exchange, and would you recommend the experience to other students?
Yes, I would definitely recommend living abroad for a while at least once in your life. You will grow enormously, gain new experiences, get out of your comfort zone and meet cool people outside your usual environment. So, take the chance and do it! :)
Was it difficult to get into the courses you wanted to take?
No, I got into all the courses I wanted.
Did you pass all courses and get them recognized once you got home?
Yes.
Are you content with the academic standard at your university?
Mainly yes, but as mentioned above, one of the things I wish was that some theories were looked at in more depth.
To what extent did the Erasmus fund help you financially?
The Erasmus fund helped me, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to pay my rent. But I think I might not have gone to Wales without Erasmus.
Did you achieve what you wanted to achieve on your exchange?
Yes.
Keywords: Wales, United Kingdom, Aberystwyth University, International Politics, Bachelor, B-IEDS, International Environment and Development Studies
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