1. Be a YES man.<\/h4>\n
Much like Jim Carey’s <\/span>2008 blockbuster classic, simply saying yes to opportunities that present themselves to you is the best way to make the most of your exchange experience. Whilst in Singapore I was apprehensive about joining a club\/getting involved with university life because it isn\u2019t something I usually would do here in Australia. However, by taking the leap and joining the softball team at SMU I instantly made 30 new friends and was able to develop a sense of community through team dinners and activities. Respectively, my favourite moments in the UK were those that were planned on a whim! <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My greatest advice would be to join the buddy programs that are offered through the universities. It is the perfect way to make contacts and friends with both locals and other exchange students and getting involved in the various activities set up through the program are always fun and a perfect opportunity to put yourself out there. I made some of my closest friends through these programs!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The greatest part of living abroad is that you have the opportunity to travel surrounding countries without regret.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n My advice would be to utilise the semester breaks and optimise your university timetable to allow a long weekend for short trips to better explore the country. <\/span>During both exchanges, I was able to visit Japan, various cities in England, and Belgium through utilising my downtime to travel<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>HOT TIP! Utilise travel time (especially on trains in\/around the <\/span>UK<\/span> and Europe) to get some readings\/study done while traveling<\/span>!<\/span><\/p>\n Personally, my favourite part of traveling is the food! Singapore especially was a hot spot for the best that Asian cuisine has to offer. Although they may appear daunting to us here in Australia, I cannot recommend the Singapore hawker markets enough! A lot of the shops are Micheline star rated and prices are all under $10. If you are paying any more than $10-15 for a meal in Singapore, you\u2019re doing it wrong! My top dish recommendations include dumplings, Hainanese chicken rice, char sew pork, satay, and bingsu for dessert!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now you might think I am crazy for this one! But throughout both my exchanges, I found that group assignments were the perfect way to make friends with the locals and make the most out of my university experience. In my experience, speaking up and actively participating in group assignments positively contributed both to my learning and to my overall exchange experience as I made genuine friendships with my group mates. We often hung out outside of university, solidifying our friendships through karaoke, shopping, exploring outside of tourist hotspots and eating at the best local known restaurants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As someone who was always surrounded by friends and family before departing for exchange, suddenly being on my own was quite daunting. It definitely took me some time to adjust to doing things on my own but once I started gaining confidence and enjoying my own company, being completely independent was one of my favourite parts of my exchange experience. So don\u2019t be afraid to eat alone or go see a movie\/explore a new part of the city! You\u2019ll do so much more with your time if you aren\u2019t always waiting around for other people!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Making friends with your flatmates is one of the best things you can do as it offers i<\/span>nstant company<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0shared dinner<\/span>s<\/span>, late-night dance parties, <\/span>morning coffee, and travel companions! Additionally, it is <\/span>much easier to talk abou<\/span>t<\/span> boundaries<\/span>\u00a0and set up a<\/span> kitchen cleaning schedule (w<\/span>hich is VERY<\/span> important)<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n During my exchange in England, I was fortunate enough to find a really strong friendship group from <\/span> the get-go. The catch? We were all Australians! This was great since we<\/span>\u00a0had a lot of commonalities<\/span>. However, some of my best friendships and experiences came from leaving\u00a0<\/span>my<\/span> comfort zone of this group and befriending people from other parts of the world, such as Belgium, where we were able to spend a week living in our friend\u2019s apartment (free accommodation<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0yes PLEASE!) and explore<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0the country the way the locals do!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This one is especially important for anyone considering England as a destination (PACK A STURDY UMBRELLA)!\u00a0 You really don\u2019t want to be like <\/span>me and<\/span>\u00a0get stuck in cyclonic weather while<\/span>\u00a0trying to<\/span>\u00a0explor<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0the country!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not every day is going to be a great adventure and some days you will really struggle\u00a0<\/span>with homesickness,\u00a0<\/span>anxiety, and sometimes loneliness that comes with moving halfway across the world<\/span>. My suggestion is to try and\u00a0<\/span>appreciate every day as a part of the experience and aim to utilise these down moods to grow and empower yourself to keep giving the experience\u00a0<\/span>everything\u00a0<\/span>you\u2019ve got<\/span>!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Bonus tip: Get a disposable camera (or two!) and photograph everything! Trust me, <\/span>you\u2019ll<\/span>\u00a0love looking back on all the experiences you had.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Monique \u2013 Singapore Management University, Singapore & Aston University, England Semester 2, 2019 & Semester 1, 2020 Bachelor of Business – International As a student enrolled in a BS08 degree it was compulsory for me to undertake a year abroad. Aiming to make the most out of my time I decided to diversify my experience<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1513,"featured_media":9565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5244,5280,5246,15891,450,7865,226,5348],"tags":[5244,15411,450],"class_list":{"0":"post-9034","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-image","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-asia","8":"category-england","9":"category-europe","10":"category-short-term-exchange","11":"category-student-life","12":"category-tips-for-surviving-uni","13":"category-travel","14":"category-united-kingdom","15":"tag-asia","16":"tag-featured","17":"tag-student-life","18":"post_format-post-format-image"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n2. Join the Buddy\/Mentoring program!<\/span><\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/gone-global\/files\/2020\/10\/Buddy-program-Birminghm-.jpg\")
<\/a>3. Take the opportunity to travel as much as possible.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
4. Try all the local cuisines! <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/a>5. Utilise group assignments!<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/a>6. Don\u2019t be afraid to do things on your own! <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
7. Make friends with your flatmates! <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
8. Diversify your friend groups! <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/a>9. ALWAYS check the weather forecast! <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
10. Be grateful for every part of the experience! <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
Learn more about Singapore Management University<\/a> & Aston University<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"