Tammica C, Bachelor of Business (Marketing)
Cass Business school – City University of London, UK, (Semester 2, 2017)
My journey started when I first entered QUT and looked into doing an exchange. I gather a little info but enough to tell me I had to wait until my second year to apply. The application process was stressful. Waiting so long to hear back was really hard. I felt like there was no time left to do anything and I hadn’t even found out if I was approved to go overseas! In the end it all worked out okay and I was on a plane to London.
I arrived in London and went to my first apartment (I sorted my own accommodation) which was horrific. Thankfully I had my sister who had been living in London already to stay with. I eventually moved after two weeks into my final house for the 6 months. It was a mission moving two massive suitcases through London in peak hour on the Tube but it was all part of the fun.
After 2 weeks it was time to start university! The campus was old and classic, so different from the modernised campus of QUT. I went to my welcome lecture and met my first friend who was from Spain! As we were leaving to get a coffee a rather tall young man came running over to be and with little breath asked me if I was Australian. And that is how I met Daniel, my best friend from QUT whom I met in London.
The first week was full of crazy activities for the exchange students to experience London. This included experiencing the night life, and bowling. I met some lovely girls in that first week and had some great times even though I skipped out of half of those activities. Class started and I participated in London Performing Arts, Creativity, Innovation & Design, New Venture Thinking, and PR planning and management. I had groups in three of these subjects and met more people from Spain, Canada, and America. My classes consisted of me seeing various plays and playhouse throughout London, facing entrepreneurial problems every week, creating creative work spaces, and analysing recent PR campaigns.
Outside of Uni I spent a lot of time visiting key locations and working. I would do many things with Daniel and a few other girls we had met. We went to the Shard, ate donuts on Primrose Hill, went to Wales, attended a lantern festival, and visited the Camden markets many times for the halloumi fires! I went to concerts and even a boat party organised by Cass. Daniel and I tried to go to as many cafes as possible during our time and spent many hours drinking peanut milkshakes and pancakes. It truly was the best time I have had and I would do it all over again tomorrow.
After Uni had concluded I shipped off and visited many countries throughout Europe. I went to Marrakech and rode camels, Barcelona and sat on the beach ( for the first time in forever!), Paris and Disneyland, Munich and snowboarded, Iceland, Greece, Scotland, Wales, Ireland. I spent 6 weeks travelling and saw so much of the world and loved places I thought I would hate and hated places I thought I would love.
Overall, my exchange was life changing. I made friends, saw places I never thought I would, did things I never thought I would do. I changed for the better and grew up so much. I would never and could never regret my amazing experience on my QUT Student Exchange.
