Motivation
I chose to participate in this experience to learn from a new country and to gain international knowledge. Studying in a new country can boost a career with the knowledge gained overseas.
Personal Development
I personally gained more self-awareness. I had a lot more time to myself, so I used that time to focus on myself and do some self-reflection. The experience has taught me how to handle a new environment and to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone.
Professional Development
Through the experience, I developed further skills in time management and adaptability.
Funding
Before the experience, I worked and saved as much as possible so that I didn't have to worry about getting a job while I was over there. Overall, I spent about $5500 on living in London (including rent and eating out). I planned to do travel before and after my experience, so during the 3 months of living in London, I only spent about $300 on travel, however, after my experience, I spent about $9000 on travel. The trip before my experience was a family trip.
Accommodation
The accommodation options were limited with the budget that I wanted. City, University did not provide any accommodation for students only there for 1 semester, and any other student accommodation options were too expensive (about $15,000 for 3.5 months). I chose to live further out of the city and rented a room in a family friend's house. While only renting the room was a cheaper option, it did take an hour to get to uni with public transport. My advice would be to research early the university options and any surrounding accommodation options, even if there are currently none available.
Advice/Top Tips
My advice would be to thoroughly research student accommodation options with the host university. The accommodation was a major struggle for my experience, so I would research what the host university would provide, or what the third-party student accommodation options are before choosing the host university.
Another tip would be to get out of the house each day. Being an introvert myself, I struggled to make friends, so I ensured that I got out of the house each day. This could be going to classes, doing sightseeing, going to the gym or even grocery shopping.
