Motivation
I wanted to travel to a new part of the world and experience studying abroad.
Personal Development
I made a lot of new friends, explored a new place, and learned more about myself.
Academic Development
I thoroughly enjoyed the course I studied at UCL, as it was very interesting to hear different perspectives from students all around the world on a global issue such as climate change. The academic system was quite similar to UQ, however since it was a short and intensive course, the days were long and it felt like a more restrictive learning environment. However, this was done by my course instructor so that we had more free days where we could just explore the city rather than having scattered classes.
Professional Development
I learned more about how I want to use the degrees that I am undertaking, and more about how they can intersect. As a law and science student, it sometimes seems as if there isn't a lot in common between my degrees, however, the course that I took made me realise all the areas where my areas of study interact. The course provided me with a lot of insight about what I am passionate about, and what I could see myself doing as a career in the future.
Costs
To track my expenses, I used excel spreadsheets, and categorised expenses into travel, food, general spending, etc. I ended up spending more in my overall experience than I anticipated, as living in central London is generally quite expensive. Food costs a lot more than it does in Australia, and public transport is more expensive than you would expect. As for advice to future students, I would say to try and ask for student discounts everywhere with your institution ID card, as you would be surprised how many places actually do student discounts. Additionally, I would advise looking into free things to do around your city, and doing lots of research on that before departing, as there is actually a lot that can be done for free.
Funding
The funding was very beneficial for my experience. I ended up allocating my funding towards extending my stay in my student accommodation so I could spend more time after the experience in the city at a lower cost that it would be to stay at a hotel. I wasn't certain I would receive funding, and had already created my budget without the extra funding, so it was great to have it at the end to use to extend my experience overseas.
Accommodation
Accomodation options were provided to me by my host institution. Three different student accomodations were provided with UCL Summer School discount codes. There were numerous other options available without the discount codes as well. The building I chose was located only a 10 minute walk from campus, as well as a 5 minute walk from multiple tube stations. I stayed at Astor College, and I would recommend this accomodation to anyone attending UCL over the other accomodations. The building is very central, and has nice facilities. Common spaces are great to meet new people in/
Highlight
The highlights of my experience were entered around the social program organissed by my host institution - various activities were arranged for us to be able to sign up for such as pub crawls, picnics, trivia nights, karaoke nights, as well as a boat cruise down the Thames. The boat cruise was definitely my highlight from these activities, and it was great to see more of the city by travelling down the river. I also loved just exploring London - there's always something happening and it's such an easy city to get around from place to place.
Advice/Top Tips
My top tip would be to research as much as possible before you begin your experience. Not only is it important to research the place you are going to, your accomodation. etc. but also consider things to do in the city - for example, look at concerts and events to get tickets for, see if there are near by places you can catch a train to so you can explore a different area, etc.
