Study
Report
Studying at Aberystwyth University is an
opportunity not to be missed. I would recommend my schoolmates at NMBU to do
exchange study there. The experience can help you to be more independent, more
inspired and more curious.
Study:
It’s easy to get the courses you wanted at
Aberystwyth, but there might be slight adjustment upon arrival due to the
teaching schedule of the host department. I chose three modules when I signed
the learning agreement. But I made some adjustments after discussed with the
teaching secretary during the registration week. If you changed your course,
remember to contact your advisor at NMBU and update the learning agreement. The
teaching model is different from NMBU, there is no lectures but all seminars. In
each seminar, there is only 12-16 students sitting around the table to ensure
everyone can be involved into the discussion. I’m an introverted person, so I
felt stressful to express my opinion in such a small class. Most of my
classmates are from European countries and the United States, sometimes I can’t
follow their discussions. If you are also Non-English speaker like me, it’s of
crucial importance to practice English through the Erasmus+ Online Linguistic
Support platform to get well-prepared for the study.
The academic quality of Aberystwyth
University ranks high throughout the UK, the staff are fantastic to support you
in your studies. One of my modules is Emerging Powers, the lecturer of this
module would summarize the before-class readings in the first hour, which
helped us to warm up and organize our logics in the discussion. The grading
system is different from NMBU, and you need to swipe your student card during
each seminar. The high quality learning environment and facilities will offer
you a favourable learning experience. The Hugh Owen Library provides extensive
collections and electronic resources for your studies, which is open 24-hour
each day during term-times. The friendly and knowledgeable staff offer subject
specific support to your study and research. I miss the days when I worked on
my term papers in the Library and looked at the sunset on the sea through the
window. There are also study centres in some student accommodations and
teaching buildings.
Life:
Aberystwyth is a small and peaceful town, and
the people there are friendly. There are many supermarkets and groceries, it’s super
convenient to buy various food, clothes and other stuff. The commodity prices
is not high, and you can enjoy 10% off student discount in many shops. Besides,
the online shopping is very convenient, the courier will deliver the products to
your student housing. I lived in PJM, which is the student village where 5 or 6
student share one house. There are a vast array of cafes, pubs, and
restaurants, you can eat out or order meal online when you don’t want to cook. The
climate of Aberystwyth is warm, but a little windy, you can experience a
different winter from Norway. I prefer to have a walk along the seaside, the
old college is located in the seafront. I’m not a social person, so I live a
simple and quiet life there. But you can make it another way through
participating the vibrant activities organized by the Student Union. There will
be student fair during the orientation week, where you can get lot of
information in terms of study and life. It also very convenient to travel to
London or other cities by train, I suggest you to travel and experience the
culture of UK when you have spare time. I only spent two days in London before
I return to China, I regret that I didn’t paid more time to visit it and other
cities.
Accommodation |
Erasmus:
Thanks to the Erasmus grant, I can save
some living expenses. Exchange students are not allowed to work in UK, and the
student accommodation is about 100 pounds each week. If you live in student
housing, you can go to the sports centre for free. You can also rent other
rooms downtown, which might be cheaper and much easier for you do buy food from
markets. I’m not a purposeful person, I didn’t make specific plan to obtain
something before I exchange at Aberystwyth. But I gained a lot from this
exchange study, thanks a lot to all the working staff helped me throughout the
whole process.
Town |
Country: UK
Name of host university: Aberystwyth
University
Study Area: International Politics
Level: Master
Study programme at NMBU: International
Relations
Comments
Post a Comment