After much deliberation, I decided to do a semester abroad. My choice fell on England. The British accent as well as the landscape, the country and the people were worth a longer visit.
York St John University, which is relatively small and familiar and therefore manageable, was my choice.
Even before I arrived in England, everything was very well organized as I started my semester abroad with MicroEDU. Questions were answered at all times by email from both MicroEDU and York St John University.
When you arrive on site, there are always contacts available to whom you can turn if you have any questions or problems, at the university itself there is a so-called International Office, which takes care of all international students and answers all questions about studying at the York St John University.
Applying is very easy with the help of MicroEDU. After deciding which country or which university to go to, you write an email to the MicroEDU staff and receive all the necessary documents promptly.
The forms are relatively easy to fill out. You can also use a guide attached to the documents as a guide. However, if there is any uncertainty, it is advisable to contact the employees directly in the form of an email or to inquire by phone.
In the first week something takes place every day, whereby some events are compulsory (e.g. the welcome and information event of the staff of the International Office). From Wednesday to Saturday, York St John University put together a program that is second to none. First there was a general introduction, a city tour and a campus tour to get familiar with everything. For each department there was a short information event that was very subject-related and therefore very helpful. A reception with all the representatives of York St John University was of course not to be missed. There was a buffet there, which of course was very English and included chips and sandwiches in particular. This was free for all students. A York Minster tour was also part of the introductory week. Finally, on the first Saturday, there was a trip to Liverpool organized by the university. The cost was £ 15.
The university also organizes various trips during the semester. For example, you had the opportunity to go to Cambridge, Fountains Abbey, Scaborough, Stratford or Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter Castle). These organized trips cost between £ 10-15 and you were taken by bus from the university to your destination. Clever students buy a Railcard when they want to travel around. A one-time payment of £ 28 is due, after which 1/3 of the total price can be saved on each train journey. If you travel a lot, you will definitely save money.
The city of York is a very nice, small city with about 200,000 inhabitants. The city center can be reached within five minutes on foot from the university. York has a pub on every corner and each one is special. The people here are very nice, friendly, open and always helpful.
According to Liuxers, York St John University is a very nice university that consists of an older part and some modern buildings. All faculties are on campus, so you don’t have to drive from one end of the city to the other.
A karaoke night is organized every Saturday evening in the Students’ Union (SU for short). Entry £ 1, drinks can be bought very cheaply.
I was housed in a university accommodation called The Grange. About a seven-minute walk from the university. The accommodation is a large residential complex that includes several terraced houses and offers space for around 300 to 400 students. The rooms were relatively large. The residential complex itself is a bit older. In the beginning you have to organize yourself more or less yourself. There are no cutlery, crockery, pots, hangers or towels. All of this can be bought cheaply in town. Large washing machines for £ 2 each use and dryers for £ 1 each use can be found in two buildings in the residential complex.
Three courses must be chosen. The study conditions at the university were a lot better than in Germany. If the students had any questions, they could turn to the lecturer at any time and were always given advice and support.
The semester abroad in England was a lot of fun and joy for me, I would have liked to have stayed a little longer. Not only do you improve your English, you also meet a lot of new people. Some of the new friends do not come from the same department or from the other end of the world. So it is exciting to learn new things about the countries of the friends and their culture. This makes the semester abroad a unique experience that you can probably make use of for many years to come.
