Motivation
My motivation was mainly to try something new - the course which I chose was one which compared laws in various countries, which is unlike a lot of the courses at UQ. Another attraction was being able to study in another country, where I would get a chance to travel and try new things, as well as getting a university experience different to my own.
Personal Development
Throughout the experience, I made many new friends, and it was through this that I gained a lot of appreciation for other countries. Most other students were from different countries and it was so fascinating to learn about their university experience and how it differed from university life here.
Academic Development
Academically, it was definitely challenging to do a full course over the span of 3 weeks: especially having to attend daily 3-hour lectures. However, I found that I was able to remember a lot more, which was especially beneficial for assessment. The workload was definitely similar to my studies at UQ, in that we were set pre-readings and had assessment which were similar to a full course. However, a key difference was that we had a limited amount of time to prepare for the final exam. I did not mind this as, as aforementioned, given the learning was in a short period of time, I was able to retain more knowledge more than I would for a course that was over a 13-week period.
Professional Development
Mainly the networking aspect. The unique feature of a global experience is getting the chance to network with people outside of Australia - particularly with people who are also from other countries themselves. Another skill was that of challenging myself, as travelling by myself was completely new for me, as well as completing a full-time course during the period of 3 weeks.
Costs
I planned everything in advance as best I could. For me, the 2 biggest costs were flights and the course itself. Excluding the 2 big expenditures, I allocated myself a budget (by creating an Excel spreadsheet) as to how much I was going to spend on food, travel, experiences, and the occasional shopping. I found that I was able to stick to this budget quite well, as I intentionally 'overbudgeted' for things. I do want to note that my experience was a little different compared to other people I knew who also partook in the experience. I was fortunate in having relatives in London and so I did not have to pay for accommodation and most meals. In saying this though, I did have to spend a bit more on public transport to travel to the university. My advice for future students is to budget and plan in advance as much as possible. I found that knowing the cost of things, such as public transport and the average cost of a meal, was beneficial in budgeting and tracking my spending.
Funding
Honestly, without the funding, I would not have been able to pursue this opportunity. I used my funding to cover my flight costs and as much of the course cost as possible. In saying this, I did not receive the funding until after I had paid for these, and so I did use my own money. I treated the funding as a "reimbursement" for the costs I had already incurred, and was able to factor it into my budget. The funding relieved the financial strain and I was able to have a more enjoyable experience because of it.
Accommodation
The accommodation options were provided by LSE on one of their websites, namely their own student accommodation. However, I had already planned to stay with relatives who I had in London, making my experience a bit different from others who partook. I was fortunate in that I did not have to pay for accommodation. In saying this, my overall experience was largely shaped by this, mainly as I had to commute 1 hour each way to attend university. I also felt quite "isolated" by this, as my friends were able to stay out later, and have more time to explore the city, where a lot of my time was spent commuting. Another aspect was that I missed out on the social aspect of on-campus living. Overall, I did not mind this, as it was important for me to spend time with family. Additionally, I also wanted to save money on accommodation, which made it beneficial for me. My overall advice is, when thinking about doing a global experience, it really depends on your preference and budget. It is definitely cheaper to stay with family, or even staying at external (and not student) accommodation. But in saying this, the experience of living in on-campus accommodation would be vastly different and more social.
Highlight
The highlight of the trip was definitely meeting new people! Most people doing the exchange is also looking to make friends, and meeting people from different countries and getting different perspectives was really refreshing. It was also great being able to challenge myself and get a university experience in another country. Not only did I get to study at a different university and experience the teaching style there, but I was also able to explore London and try new things in the process.
Advice/Top Tips
My top tip is to sign up for as many of the social events as possible - largely as they fill up pretty quick. The events are a good way to meet new people, as well as getting to try something new or even getting to explore the city (as some of the options were walking tours). Some of these events have a cost, but a lot of them are free! My favourite events were the river cruise and the day trip to Oxford. Another tip is to plan things with your course groups. In my experience, my timetable was the same as a lot of my friends', so often between classes we would go out for lunch and have study sessions together.
