Like most international students from Germany I have met at St. John, I am studying English to be a teacher and therefore had to do a semester abroad in an English-speaking country. I couldn’t have chosen a better university: First of all, York is just a super beautiful city that even the English go on vacation to and secondly, the people, students and staff at the university are wonderful, nice and open people. So if you can’t really make up your mind and fluctuate between several cities within England, I can only say that I had the best time of my studies there.
Application
The application is very easy with the help of MicroEDU, once you have decided where to go, you write an email to the employees and receive all the necessary documents within a few days (for me it was always the closest, or even the same day of my email).
Another plus is that MicroEDU will take care of all your questions and requests and will handle any concerns with the university for you. For example, I didn’t need to do a TOEFL because some of my studies in Germany are in English. So if you also study English at home, you should simply get in touch with MicroEDU and ask whether the TOEFl needs to be taken. I simply had all the courses from my previous studies confirmed by my university and sent them to England. So the TOEFL was not a requirement for me!
You will be told in advance that you should choose courses that you would like to take. But they can still be changed at university during the first week, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I had my university confirm beforehand which courses I can then get credit for in Germany and I was able to attend all courses in this way.
All in all, I found studying in England more exhausting than in Germany, as it was very unfamiliar to me. At St. John, great importance is attached to the fact that the students further educate themselves and it is expected, especially in the literature courses, that the students read privately on the topics. I didn’t have any exams or other written exams, instead I had to write two essays for each of the literature courses and one essay for a linguistics course. So there is a lot of emphasis on the written form, and it is very welcome to actively participate in the discussions. The courses are very small and you can quickly contact the lecturers. If you have any questions you can always contact the lecturers (whom you address by first name). I was initially very unfamiliar with all the writing, But in retrospect it turned out to be very helpful. I wrote down my last essay in one day, which was only possible through routine:-)
The University
When you arrive on site you always have a contact person who you can turn to if you have any questions or problems, at the university itself there is an international office that takes care of all international students and answers all questions.
I felt very well taken care of at St. John and felt very comfortable there.
According to Iamaccepted, the university also offers social events to enable contact with students from all over the world (global tea) and day trips to the surrounding area are offered every two weeks on Saturdays. In addition, the range of sports on offer is one of the best I’ve ever seen at a university. During the first two weeks the clubs introduce themselves and you just have to decide what you want. I personally joined the dance society, which offered around 8 different courses three days a week. Also, you can find just about every common sport from boxing to rowing. The clubs are organized as you know it from American teen films, they see themselves as societies and offer a lot of other things in addition to sports, such as going out to party or going on excursions together.
Leisure
York’s nightlife is not to be sniffed at either. Since the English break up a little earlier than we usually do, it’s best to start a little earlier in the evening. York has a pub on every corner, and each one is something special, so it is best to start at the university in the SU (one beer a pound every Saturday) and gather as many people as possible and then continue on to the city of Pub to pub. In addition, it can’t hurt to take the horror parts out of the closet with you – the English like themed parties. Those who don’t come in disguise are boring and stand out. So even those who are not necessarily into carnival should jump over their shadows here. Because the theme parties are an experience in themselves and you should at least have gone there once!:-)
Accommodation
Students from Germany have the choice of either looking for accommodation themselves or booking a room in a dormitory. I lived in the dormitory (Limes Court) and was very satisfied. I had previously heard horror stories from English dorm rooms and was very pleasantly surprised. Limes Court is relatively new and laid out like a row house settlement. Each house has 5 rooms, 2 bathrooms and a kitchen. The kitchen is well equipped (electrical appliances) but there are no dishes. You either bring it with you or buy it in the shop for a few pounds and then leave it with your roommates. Limes Court is about a mile from the university, which is a normal distance from the dormitories to the university and is easy to walk. The rooms are small but okay, just a little impersonal. So if you tend to be homesick,
Everything else you will find out very quickly and be able to form your own picture. I can only say that I had a great time there and after three weeks I felt homesick for York (and I was there in winter – how nice it must be in summer !!!). It is worth getting to know the city and its inhabitants, and you can also fly or drive quickly from here to other cities and thus travel around England perfectly by train or plane.
