Jasmine – City, University of London
Semester 1, 2024
Bachelor of Laws (Honours) / Bachelor of Justice
My name is Jasmine and I study Bachelor of Laws (Honours) / Bachelor of Justice at QUT. At the beginning of 2024, I was fortunate enough to study at City, University of London. My exchange experience was genuinely the best time of my life. My university was right in the city centre so after class I was able to walk, bus or tube to places like Borough market, Tower Bridge, Notting Hill and Camden market, it was really amazing. If I felt like escaping from the busy city, Regent’s Park, Hyde Park and Kew Gardens were all amazing places to chill. I think the best thing about studying in London was its closeness to the rest of Europe. We were able to fly to Copenhagen and Amsterdam for the weekend as well as spending mid-semester break exploring Scotland.
Orientation Week at City
City University accommodated the exchange students extremely well throughout our time there. On the first orientation day they explained how to stay safe in London. The environment in London is fairly different to here in Brisbane. For instance, you can’t walk down the street with your phone in your hand or back pocket otherwise you could have it stolen so just make sure you’re always aware of your surroundings. There were two people on the exchange program who had their phones stolen before the semester even started. So it was nice that City gave us some tips on staying safe. Later that night, City also organised a wine and cheese night, which allowed us to meet everyone else on exchange. I met so many people that night – people that will stay lifelong friends, so make sure you stay for that!
Study Life at City
The university offers accommodation on campus which is much cheaper than private accommodation in London. Sadly, I missed out on getting a place on campus. In the end I had to fork out a few extra dollars to find private student accommodation. I stayed in Kings Cross which was a 30-minute walk to the university and a 40–50-minute walk to places like Soho and Covent Garden. In the end I was super happy with living in Kings Cross but if you want a place on campus, make sure you apply early!
The classes were pretty similar to how classes at QUT are taught. You usually have one lecture and one tutorial for each unit. There was also a unit called Historic London which I would 100% recommend if you have a free elective. Basically, the tutor takes you to see the major sites of London such as the Tower of London, British Museum, Westminster Abbey and many more. The best part about this unit was that the university paid for entry into the sites! City was also aware that most exchange students intended to travel while studying and so organised alternative assessment dates for us. This made our assessments due much earlier on in the semester compared to domestic students. As I had no exams, I was able to finish up by mid-April and I spent the remaining 3 months travelling around Europe.
You are there to have the best time of your life. As long as you show up to class, get your assignments done and pass, you’ll be fine. My time in London and time travelling with friends/solo travelling after university, was definitely the best time of my life. Make sure you take advantage of the closeness of London to the rest of Europe and do as much travelling as you can. Flights are so cheap and fast, for instance, our flights from London to Edinburgh were around £30 return. Ensure sure you make the most of the cheap travel! You never know when you’ll get this opportunity again!
Find out how you can apply for exchange via the QUT Student Exchange website.
