Sabrina – University of Glasgow
Semester 1 2024
Bachelor of Laws / Bachelor of Justice
Hi everyone, I’m Sabrina and I have recently returned from a semester 1 exchange program in Glasgow, Scotland and it was the greatest experience of my life.
I hate to admit that I have become that person who returned from their exchange semester, and suddenly it’s all they can talk about. I was very prepared to make no friends and spend my semester reading in my dorm living the quiet life!! I never could have imagined the friendships and experiences that I found. By the time we said goodbye, many many tears were shed, and I felt as though I was losing another part of me.
If you are considering applying to do a semester abroad, let me be the one to tell you that you will not regret it. Take every chance that is given to you, and please do not overlook Glasgow because you may think it’s the ‘uglier’ city. Glasgow is beautiful, and homey, and filled with so many amazing students and people. AND it’s very easy to get around the rest of Europe if you’re wanting to do some travel.
Pre-departure and my arrival into Glasgow
At the final departure session, I learned that the other students at my table were all going to study in Edinburgh. I started to have doubts and feel as though I had made the wrong choice of city. I was still extremely excited to go on exchange, I knew no matter where I was, I would make the most of it. I flew into London and got the train up to Glasgow in early January. When I arrived into Glasgow central, the first thought I had was how beautiful the train station was. Within 5 minutes in my new city, I knew that I had made the right choice.
Life at the University of Glasgow
Firstly, let’s get something straight. I got asked many times, “you’re Australian, why would you want to leave beautiful sunny Brisbane, for rainy, snowy Scotland?”. Honestly, I was expecting to become vitamin D deficient. But the weather turned out to be much more sunny then not… Winter was very cold and rainy and snowy, but it made me appreciate the sunshine even more. I would wake up on a spring morning with beams of sunlight shining through my bedroom curtains. All this is to say that…don’t let the weather put you off. The sun sets around 10pm in the lead up to the summer months, which means loads of time to enjoy the parks, beer gardens, and have BBQ’s outside.
Accommodation
There are so many benefits to living in Glasgow. I chose to live in the University’s student accommodation rather than rent a flat on my own as I really wanted to experience life in a dorm and immerse myself with other students. I chose Cairncross House because the location was perfectly between the University and the City Centre. The building was set out in dorms with shared kitchens, which I thought would give me the best chance at meeting new people and making new friends. The accommodation was mostly full-time students who lived on campus, so I made a lot of friends from Scotland and around the UK that reside permanently in Glasgow. I was on the female only floor in a complex of 4 different floors and shared a kitchen with 10 other international exchange students. I got really lucky with my kitchen mates as they were very clean and respectful. HOWEVER, I was unlucky to be situated in a kitchen with NO windows, or as it was known the ‘dungeon kitchen’. While this seemed dire at the time, the layout of the building meant that it was very sociable among levels and kitchens. I met some of my best friends on other floors and was adopted into their beautiful sunlit kitchens for mealtimes.
Making friends
It can be really daunting being by yourself for possibly the first time in your life. As I said, I was very prepared to go full hermit during my semester abroad. Upon my arrival at my accommodation I forced myself out of my comfort zone and joined a new students Uno game in our buildings common room. The people I met in this moment would soon become some of my closest friends. While the Uni does offer many programs for study abroad students, I mostly found my home among full time students, apart from my best friend, a girl on exchange from America who lived on the second floor of my building. There are also many clubs and societies, and the Glasgow University Union is a great way to meet more people. Let’s just say the Bot Bar definitively does not live up to the Union vibes. I also joined the University gym (and if you live in the student housing you get a discount) and had a group of friends that I went with each day. When you are so far away from your home, these people become your life line, and now that I am back in Brisbane it really doesn’t feel the same without them.
Transport
Catching transport was super easy. If you’re under the age of 22 you will be entitled to a Young Scot Card which means you get free bus travel on ALL buses around Scotland. There is also a subway line which circles the entire inner city.
University
The actual setup of classes and lectures is very similar to Australia. I attended weekly seminars (the same as a tutorial) and lectures. While I study Law, I have always had a passion for history of art and due to the nature of my degree, I was able to use my 4 university wide electives to study ‘fun’ subjects. I studied History of Art and English Literature with the University of Glasgow, and studied 2 subjects with the Glasgow School of Art (they offered a special partnership with exchange students). Here I attended weekly classes for Life Drawing and Graphic Design held at their campus in the city centre.
Finances
I saved up a lot of money for my travels, do not rely on the OS-Help loan. The good thing about Glasgow is that it is very cheap (unlike Edinburgh). Meal deals were my saviour. If you need to attend the doctors, dentist, eye appointment, or need a prescription filled, it is all free under the NHS (this is Scotland ONLY not England). I chose the cheapest accommodation option, and spent most of my weekends either away somewhere in Europe from a $60 aud return Ryanair flight, or around the Highlands in Scotland. Definitely save more then you think you will need, I knew some people who worked while on exchange but I did not find it necessary.
Travel
I had never been to the UK prior to my exchange and had only ever visited Italy with my family. I was very excited to travel while I was away and took every opportunity (even for solo travel) that I was given. I was away most weekends, and at the conclusion of my study I travelled Europe for 14 weeks before returning home. This was amazing for me, I met so many amazing people, even some Aussies on their euro summer adventures, and these are memories I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
This experience truly changed my life. While my day-to-day now consists of long-distance face times at 11pm at night, I learned so much about myself and the person I want to become. I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and learned to say yes to everything that was thrown my way. I cannot recommend this experience enough.
Find out more on how you can apply: Student Exchange.
