My Exchange at The University of Roehampton
I found out about the 360 international exchange when someone from Roehampton University came to the dance studies department to give a talk about an exchange programme in my first semester of first year.
I was super excited when I first got to Roehampton and was looking forward to meeting new people. I was also nervous as I didn’t know anyone from UOA attending there as well, but Roehampton had a lot of social events and study abroad-specific events that helped ease my nerves and make friends. I arrived in the UK a little before the semester started, as I had family I wanted to catch up with, and I adjusted to the time zone difference. This was really beneficial for me.
I stayed on campus, as it was guaranteed at Roehampton, in a shared flat with 6 other girls, in a king-size single bed with an ensuite. This was amazing, as not only was the flat nice, but the accommodation was excellent, including free bedding and kitchen utilities.
Orientation at Roehampton was made fun and easy with a clear layout of which days you were needed and where, what you were doing, including login help, a tour, and Q&A, plus heaps of events.
The courses were really straightforward, and the teachers laid out all the information so it was easy to track week by week. Especially if you missed a class, it was easy to catch up. I did struggle for the first 3 weeks adjusting to their assessment/class style, as it focuses more on learning week by week, with assessments done at home. In contrast, at UOA, I always found my classes based solely on evaluations, with everything we did working towards them. Still, once I understood that Roehampton had a different class approach, it all fell into place for me.
London is amazing, I am lucky enough to have been there quite a few times before; however, I was still a little nervous, as a lot of people had constantly been warning me about knife culture in the UK and pit pocking and overall how “unsafe” it is there. However, I never once felt unsafe and never heard of any bad experiences in the city centre, and actually found Londoners to be some of the loveliest people, helping with directions and public transport, etc.
For my room on campus, it cost 350 pounds a week, which was self-catered. This is more expensive than Auckland, but I was in zone 3 of London, right next to Richmond and Putney, so it was still reasonable. Groceries were significantly cheaper than in Auckland, but surprisingly, public transport was the thing I found most expensive and ate into my budget week by week. I got a student railcard early on, which cost 35 pounds for a year and got me 1/3 off all train fares.
I went travelling both solo and with friends, and I took part in the pre-professional dance society, where I met all of my London friends who weren’t studying abroad. Societies and clubs would be my biggest takeaway/advice for someone doing study abroad, especially at a smaller university like Roehampton, where everyone knows everyone. It makes you friends very quickly and gets you connected.
Roehampton has a beautiful campus filled with animals, forests /bushes, and ponds. Campus life was easy and fun, with everything you needed super close. There were heaps of cafes and food containers if people didn’t want to cook, and they even had a small store for essentials, so you didn’t have to go to the supermarket. They also had 24/7 security on site who would help if you got locked out of your flat or if you just wanted someone to walk you across campus when you felt unsafe.
I was self-catering, and although Roehampton at orientation told us to go to the nearby ASDA and Co-op through friends, I quickly discovered that in Putney, there was a Lidl, which was the cheapest supermarket. The food was more affordable, but their fresh produce doesn’t last as long as it does here, which took some adjusting to.
The Highlights of my exchange were the dance society I was in, as not only was it super fun, but I got to spend a lot of time with other dance students with whom I became super close. My second highlight was all the theatre shows I saw. I found out about rush tickets, which you could get online the day of for cheap, and this allowed me to see 10+. My third highlight was the travel. Being able to get budget airline tickets all around Europe is something I’d never thought I’d get to do in NZ, and it was truly amazing.
The only real challenge I had on my exchange was money. There was a point when I was struggling to get by and had to borrow money from my parents, but after that, I started budgeting and got back on track. This was because I didn’t take into consideration how expensive public transport is. This would be the other advice I would give someone going to London: be prepared for the transport costs!
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
The classes that I took where all two hours long with two of them only having one class a week, this allowed for more time to enjoy and explore living in a different country and city.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
There was a study abroad program that Roehampton ran for 400 pounds, which included several trips all over the UK, the white cliffs of Dover, Bath, Wales, Oxford, etc. and although I didn’t do it, I had friends who did, and they really enjoyed it and got to see a lot for cheap and easy.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
I only really have two tips, which are joining clubs, there are the easiest ways to make friends outside of your flat, and budget more for public transport than you think. If I were to give a third tip, it would be to get out and explore early on before the workload gets heavy.
How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?
I had $6000 going into my exchange, including $300 from a StudyLink a-week loan. This was enough to get by. If you had no intentions of travelling as much as I did, you could travel to at least 5 countries, including paying for rent, food, and any activities in London.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
The biggest thing I learnt from doing this exchange was how much I love London and the opportunities in the arts they have over there. I started researching different master’s programmes while I was over there, and now I know I want to apply for my master’s there and then move there permanently.
I also learnt that I’m way more independent than I give myself credit for, and that I can achieve a whole lot more under pressure than I had previously thought.
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
I went travelling for 16 days round Europe before the semester started, visiting 6 different countries, as well as going to another 4 during the semester and then a further 4 after the semester had ended.
Is there any advice you could share about accommodation options at your host university and/or in the local area?
Housing was guaranteed at Roehampton; all I had to do was click “I wanted it” on a form, and then later they sent out another form for preferences.
Do you have any advice on what mobile phone apps and/or phone plans that were useful in your host country?
We were given a giffgaff SIM card when we arrived, which had numerous plans on it. I got one with unlimited data for 25 pounds a month, since I was in a foreign country, so I wanted people to have access to my location at all times.
Citymapper was the app Rohampton suggested for public transport and was an amazing way more accurate than Google Maps – it told when buses were cancelled or delayed.
I used SWR for train tickets and for my railcard discount.
I used a Wise travel card as I liked the low fees and how many currencies I could do.