Motivation
I knew of a lot of people who had taken the same trip and heard so many amazing things. I love to travel and getting to do that with friends while also experiencing a well renowned university felt like an amazing opportunity.
Personal Development
On a personal level, the rapid learning pace and collaborative projects cultivated a resilience and adaptability that I hadn't fully realized before. The experience enhanced my problem-solving skills and deepened my appreciation for effective communication within diverse teams. It also expanded my global network, provided diverse perspectives and allowed me think about things a little differently.
Academic Development
I think the biggest challenge was the rapid pace of the subject, it was a 13-week course condensed into 3 and the mid-semester exam was exactly one week after class started. It was an extremely interesting course and I learned a lot of concepts that I hadn't come across in any of my other UQ courses. It definitely helped me see how my degree could be applied differently, and how other universities were approaching teaching such complex concepts to large groups of students.
Professional Development
Navigating an accelerated learning pace, I honed time management and organizational skills, overcoming challenges through proactive strategies and collaboration with peers. The experience not only deepened my understanding of finance but also cultivated resilience, adaptability, and effective communication—attributes vital for success in a dynamic professional setting.
Costs
Overall, I think I spent about 14 thousand, but a large part of that was flights, accommodation and the course itself. The course cost me $5,000, flights were $3,300 and accommodation was $2,500. The remaining three thousand was used for groceries, travel to other countries such as Portugal, and going out to different places in London. The main budgeting technique I had was just to plan out how much money I was comfortable spending before I left. I budgeted each week (generously so I could go to dinners, drinks, markets or events) and knew what money I needed to spend, and wanted money I had for discretionary purposes.
Funding
The funding I received helped pay off my accommodation, and as my two largest expenses were flights and accommodation this really helped me be able to spend my money on doing things around London and getting to experience the city.
Accommodation
My biggest piece of advice would be to sort accommodation early. The earlier you are the more likely you are to be in dorm rooms closer to the university and this will help on travel to and from class. Also try and get in the same accommodation as some friends, it will make the whole trip so much easier! I was a little late to booking accommodation so my options were more limited, and while I still found a dorm room affiliated with the university I was attending, it was harder to get and a 30-minute walk to and from class.
Highlight
The highlight for me was catching up with a long-distance best friend I have who lived close to where I was staying. I stayed with her for a few days and we travelled to different countries catching up on the last four years we hadn't been able to see each other.
Advice/Top Tips
Don't be afraid to spend money on experiences, it will be an expensive trip but if you’re already making the journey you may as well make the most of it! I'd also say try find people who have been before and get recommendations for food spots, events and places to go out.
