[SFU OLC Experience] “Exivi, Didici, Mutavi” - I Went Out, I Learned, I Changed.

Initiative

Global Skills Opportunity

Home Country

Vancouver (298

British Columbia

Canada

Program:

Study Abroad › Exchange

University

Simon Fraser University

Location:

Scotland (3980

Glasgow

Experience Faculty

Arts + Social Sciences › Global Humanities

Tallisen in front of the University of Glasgow sign

Since transferring to SFU I felt my education had been reinvigorated, especially after a year taking classes online, the community atmosphere made me passionate about academics again. Learning at SFU has been invaluable, from the unique classes to brilliant teachers in the Humanities department, and the support of the Accessible Learning department. I felt that the university cared about and supported all steps of my learning and preparing to go abroad was no different.

Experience Details

Semester

Spring

Year

2024

Skills

Self-development

Interpersonal Skills

Adaptability

Introduction + Preparation

Prior to my exchange I had never been off the North American continent, but I knew there were important steps I needed to take to make my dream a reality. The SFU abroad team and my advisors were incredibly helpful and informative throughout the application process, all the way up to the deadline. It is very helpful to start the process early, whether that is speaking with your department advisors, accessibility services (if applicable), or your bank. It is never too early to start preparing.

Location Research

When choosing where I wanted to go on exchange and being a student with Learning Disabilities I knew I wanted to go somewhere that spoke English and had a well established Accessibility Services support, and since it had been my dream from a young age to visit the UK, what better opportunity for furthering my education than to go to Scotland. After choosing the location, I began researching the University’s Humanities and Classical Studies courses as well as their Disability services support. Then I applied and was accepted to my top choice, the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and I could not have chosen better. I applied to the Humanities school at UofG for the Spring term of 2024 January to May.

Financial Preparation

After acceptance, the true planning began, first and foremost I needed a budget to make travel and life abroad achievable. I am a visual learner, it was helpful for me to create an excel sheet to budget out my dorm rent, grocery expenses, recreational activities, and extra funds for emergencies. Seeing the expenses laid out for the semester helped me to be proactive for this new experience. After the budget breakdown I also utilized Student Aid and applied for multiple scholarships through SFU, and was lucky enough to be awarded the Global Skills Opportunity scholarship, which was an invaluable asset to supporting this experience and gave me several imperatives to strive for while away. Since I was going to be abroad for 6 months, the choice of how to manage my money in Scotland was an important part of planning. When I first arrived I used physical pound notes before I switched to WISE banking, which is an online banking service which allowed me to connect to my bank in Canada and convert my assets to pounds when needed while supplying me with a physical card along with Apple Pay.

Packing

After budgeting, it was time to tackle the herculean task of how to pack my entire life for the next five months into two suitcases. Similar to my budgeting sheet, I created a list of things I wanted to bring. After researching the typical weather in Glasgow I planned what clothing would be the most useful for the environment. I ended up bringing mostly winter clothes which served me well for the first three months since Scotland can be very windy and rainy, but the weather did start to become fairer in the final weeks of my semester and I could have balanced out spring clothes more. I checked two suitcases that carried my clothes, shoes, and some dorm décor, and decided have a backpack carry-on to carry my more valuable possessions such as my jewelry, computer, and important travel documents.

Travel and Transportation

I was fortunate to have a family member, who works in travel planning, help to book my flight so it was an easy experience. I flew with Air Canada from YVR to Heathrow airport in London, and then from Heathrow to Glasgow with British Airways. I did not need a student Visa since I am a Canadian citizen and was only going to be in Scotland for a total of six months, which is the amount of time allowed for visitor visa status. That being said, I was not permitted to work with visitor visa status. I arrived in Scotland on early on January third, and a family friend picked me up from Glasgow Airport to take me to the hostel where I stayed for one night before moving into my student accommodations on the 4th. The bus system in Glasgow is relatively simple, the FirstBus App helped me navigate the routes, zones, and ticket system. Tap on and Tap off is also available on the busses there.

Preparation Tips for Future Students

My preparation advice for future students is to be consistently organized and review everything over and over again. Whether that is having clearly labeled folders on your computer desktop or printing out physical copies of important documents, creating check lists, or printing applications. I also think it is paramount to remain in communication with those who are there to help you, whether that is family or advisors. Don’t do it alone, because the support and second pair of eyes is invaluable.

Amongst the tulips on the Art Society museum walk

Tallisen in a yellow raincoat on the Isle of Skye

The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye

Tallisen in the University of Glasgow Courtyard

Personal Hogwarts experience

During my Experience

Orientation and First Weeks

After the semester began on January 8th, I attended the exchange student orientation and met students from all over the world. The exchange team at the University of Glasgow is very small, so it was helpful to learn the process of enrolling in classes, since exchange students do not do this themselves. When dropping and adding classes I needed to submit a form to the exchange team and wait for the process to go through; luckily, the team would not drop a class until you were accepted to the new one, so you always had the required 60 Glasgow credit course load. The first few weeks were less structured than SFU and the exchange team made us aware that our schedules and classes would not be in full swing for the first 4 weeks. This meant we would not be penalized to miss the first few classes because it was normal for students to be moving around, dropping and adding classes. Once my class schedule was solidified, I was able to settle into the flow and ease of learning.

Accommodation and Living

The University of Glasgow has many great options for off-campus accommodation, all of which vary in distance to the main campus. The process of choosing a dorm is simple: you rank your choices, and the University places you in your top choice if they can. It was also easy to pay accommodation rent directly through the University system which offered manual or automatic instalment plans for each student’s needs. I was able to walk from my hostel to my student dorms, Kelvin Court/Unite Students, which greeted me warmly and made me feel very welcome. I chose a dorm that had a private ensuite and shared communal kitchen, which was a good fit for me, and I had three flatmates in our shared space. Kelvin Court held a number of community events within the accommodation and were very helpful and responsive to issues or repairs. The building was also very close to a small grocery store if you didn’t want to walk to the larger one (which was 20 min walk away), making it easy to get study snacks and easy dinner.

Day to Day

My day to day life was relatively busy. Classes were held throughout the week, along with seminars, keeping up with readings, and attending school social events. After class it was typical to go to the library or the café with some friends for a quiet study session or just to debrief from the day. On days I didn’t have class, it was fun to explore the charity shops and cafés near the university. It was also a great time to take advantage of the free museum access in Scotland and learn about the local history. In addition to the lovely local museums, there were a number of beautiful scenic parks and riverside walks, making it a great way to wind down at the end of the week.

Learning and Adaptation

Adapting to the new the new learning systems of classes was relatively straightforward. My lectures were one-hour blocks held two times a week and were taught by multiple professors. Then one hour of seminar with a seminar tutor was normally held at the end of each week, giving us a total of three hours of learning spread out throughout the week instead of in one sitting, like some SFU courses. This took me some time to get used to, because while it seems better for retention in shorter blocks, it did feel rushed. Upon reflection I can see the appeal with both SFU’s larger lecture blocks and UofG’s shorter ones. Another adaptation I needed to tackle was the citation system they used, which was different in format and across classes. The university offered multiple recourses to aid this difference, and while it was tedious, it was manageable. Once I got into a good rhythm with my classes, the lecture format and class size were not overwhelmingly different. The only thing that was more complicated was the grading scale, which is based on a letter and number system in congruence with percentage. The University had many great resources to help students from different countries calculate and understand the grading system, making it easy to translate into SFU’s system.

Accomplishments and Challenges

As young adults, we face challenges with every new experience. Leaving your home country, moving out, living alone, going to a new university and travelling alone are all experiences that challenge us on deeply personal and academic levels. They are also accomplishments, they push us to grow and develop in ways that we would not get from staying in our home safety net. I feel as though I accomplished something important for my academic career and my personal life. Throughout feeling the home sickness, learning in a new environment about subjects I had never tackled before pushed me to not only have confidence in myself but to strive for more. I am proud of how I applied myself in a new environment, not being afraid to speak up in seminars, asking questions, and approaching new fellow students. Within my program I also attended the Arts Society Ball and a museum walk with the student lead Art Society community. The University of Glasgow had multiple events going on throughout the semester, giving everyone an opportunity for extra-curricular activities that appealed to them.

Cultural and Environmental Observations

Scottish Culture is a lively and rich environment that welcomes you with open arms. I was shocked and in awe to hear bagpipes on the streets or be greeted by a friendly stranger with a thick accent. They are truly some of the most friendly and welcoming people and I am so happy I chose Glasgow as my home for this exchange. There is a humble pride in Scotland, and while it can become rowdy and loud, it also has this regal aura that can be felt across the land.

Wrap Up

Overall, Glasgow Scotland is truly a beautiful and incredible place for students and young people. The university campus, surrounding city and nature all created the perfect environment for learning and socializing.

Reflection & Tips

Reflection

Leaving your home country for the first time and the academic structure you’ve known for years, can be a daunting experience, and there were times throughout my planning that made me question if I had the confidence to go abroad. With the support from my SFU advisors, family, and friends, I was able to gain self-confidence and self-trust for the journey I was embarking on. The opportunities that going abroad gave me was not only for academic growth, but the personal development was invaluable, and this experience is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Despite being close to graduation, my desire to go on exchange was something I pursued, and I am very grateful I did. The level of self-confidence, self-trust, and critical thinking I have cultivated while on exchange, including living on my own for the first time, pursuing studies in a foreign country with its unique way of teaching, and exploring a new place, is truly an experience that fostered growth and maturity. I was compelled to apply the academic strengths I refined at SFU at the UofG, and I was able to achieve good grades which built my confidence in academic skills.

Most Valuable Aspects of This Experience

The most valuable aspect of going abroad for me was that it pushed me to trust myself in a way I had not before. Not only did the experience push me academically, giving me the opportunity to discover new passions for subjects I had not considered, but it impacted my personal life on a deeper level. Being in a new environment where you’re eight hours ahead and the people you would rely on aren’t available right away, pushes you to adapt and trust yourself to make decisions and work harder for things you need and want. It also widens your world view, not only being immersed in a different social culture but being exposed to people from all over the world gives you new perspectives on new and different cultures.

Connection to Academic Studies or Career Goals

This experience has reinvigorated my love for education and my ambitions for future schooling. I am determined to complete my degree and perhaps move on to post graduate school in the UK. Going on exchange has not only allowed me to take unique classes, but classes I would not have considered taking at my home university. They have been impactful to my education by giving me new insights that I can bring into my current degree, inspire my next one, and carry into my future career.

Advice for Future Students

Since the start of my academic career I knew I wanted to go on exchange in some form. It was a personal desire of mine to experience education in another country and broaden my understanding of the world before I obtained my bachelors. Yet, with the onslaught of COVID 19 and the subsequent travel restrictions, my field school trip to Italy and abroad was cancelled in 2019. It overshadowed graduation from Langara College and my transfer to SFU, and my dreams of going abroad seemed unreachable. I continued my studies and kept the dream in the background, and when the opportunity came up for going abroad, I took the bull by the horns and bravely said yes! My advice is to broaden your worldview by going on exchange, even for one semester, or a year if you want. The personal growth and educational experiences are well worth the time and you will also see yourself become more of who you are.

Tags:

Academic Success