Personal Development
The greatest thing that I gained while in Edinburgh were the incredible friendships I formed. Being the only exchange student in a flat of girls from the UK gave me the opportunity to experience the university in a very authentic way, and made the city truly feel like a home away from home. I also made connections with other UQ students that I may have never met otherwise, which has been one of the most valuable and rewarding parts of my exchange. The second thing that I gained from my semester abroad was the chance to explore a new city in full. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited, and getting to live and study there allowed me to see it from the perspective of a local instead of a tourist. Overall, this experience showed me that I can make meaningful friendships anywhere in the world, and has given me the confidence to one day live abroad again.
Professional Development
One of the skills that I had to develop while travelling abroad was adaptability and resilience. I quickly discovered while travelling that plans rarely go according to plan and it's important to be open to finding solutions on the go. As someone who struggled to think under pressure and keep a cool head in the past, I definitely think that I am now better able to problem solve and embrace it when plans go awry. Another challenge I faced on my exchange was one of time management. During my experience I was an executive officer and then president of the UQ Skirts in Engineering Society, and had to manage attending meetings and performing tasks while considering a different time zone. This forced me to develop new systems and strategies of staying organised. Ensuring that my incoming team was able to operate while I was away also required an enhancement of my communication and leadership skills.
Accommodation
Accommodation was organised through the University of Edinburgh. I was living in a flat with five other female students, all of which were domestic full-time students at my host institution. Pros of my accommodation was that it was very central area; the main campus was walking distance away and the engineering campus was a short bus ride. It was also a great way to make friends as my accommodation organised many social events to attend. The only con was that it was a bit smaller, and I had a shared bathroom but neither of these things bothered me much at all. Anyone considering exchange in the UK should greatly consider Uni of Edinburgh as they guarantee accommodation for visiting students and make the process very easy. It's also relatively affordable when compared to other unis within the UK. The main highlight of my experience was definitely the connections I made with those I met during my semester. I made lifelong friendships with people from around the world, as well as people from UQ that I'd never met before. Living in Edinburgh was also a truly special experience. It is one of the most beautiful cities full of culture and history, and offers some of the best student experiences. I was able to participate in cultural activities such as ceilidhs (a Scottish and Irish gathering involving a lot of dancing) as well as visiting the beautiful Scottish highlands and much more. Students who are a bit nervous about going on exchange should know that this is completely normal! It can be incredibly stressful moving abroad, but it is one of the most unique and rewarding experiences you will ever have. I would also recommend investigating networks within your host institution early, such as the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) for European universities. They organise trips and activities throughout the semester that are a great way to meet people and make the most of your host country. Finally, don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Especially if your experience is only one semester, take every opportunity to meet people early on to make the most of it.
