Motivation
I have always found the idea of Cambridge, with its long history and impressive buildings, enchanting. When I found out I had the opportunity to experience life in one of the colleges there for myself, I jumped on it. Additionally, the chance to study something outside my normal field of study was exciting to me, and a good way to expand my horizons.
Personal Development
I had the chance to meet people from all over the world, and work on group projects where every single group member was from a different country. This was a great experience as it gave me exposure to a whole new set of perspectives and backgrounds. We also had a lot of fun trying to learn (and correctly pronounce) phrases from each other’s languages! I made lots of new friends who I was sad to leave behind, but who I'll be sure to stay in touch with.
Academic Development
As it was a short-term exchange, it was quite intense and we had three essays and two presentations due across the month. This tested my time management skills and I had to ensure that I was staying on top of the content. However, these assignment items were important for helping me solidify my knowledge and gain a greater understanding of the course teachings.
Professional Development
My course covered some important aspects of business leadership, business strategy, and teamwork which I can see being useful in my future career. Some particularly helpful topics they covered were how to network and how to maximise our networks by building close and distant relationships with people, how to motivate team members to complete tasks through intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and the importance of setting a common goal and purpose to achieve success in a team.
Costs
My tuition covered food and accommodation and so I didn't really have to worry about day to day budgeting, however I took the chance to go on a few different day or weekend trips which weren't covered by the program and so I had to pay separately for these. My advice would be to look at the availability of transport options ahead of time e.g. trains/public transport, and see how much these cost as it may be more than you expect, and to try and travel at off peak times when fares are cheaper. It also always pays to see what student discounts are available.
Funding
The funding I received was incredibly beneficial in providing a contribution towards my tuition costs. Although it didn't cover the majority of the cost, it relieved the financial burden a little bit and allowed me to spend more on weekend and day trips to explore around the UK which I wouldn't have otherwise been able to do.
Accommodation
My accommodation was included in my program and tuition fees, and so I did not have to find or secure housing separately. We had single rooms which were reasonably sized with shared bathrooms. A big benefit of my accommodation was that food was included and so I didn't have to worry about cooking. There was also a great social activity program provided by the college which really helped me to meet new people.
Highlight
A highlight of the experience were the two formal dinners we had in the college's big dining hall, where we dressed in black tie and were served a three-course meal. The food was delicious and the company was even better!
Advice/Top Tips
My advice would definitely be to go for it, you'll have lots of fun and learn a thing or two as well. Go into it with an open mind and a willingness to meet new people, you are living with the people on your program and sharing bathrooms and meals so it helps if you get to know each other!
