North America
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Adjusting to Life Back in Manchester
By Ava Griffiths, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA Returning to life back in Manchester has been a bit strange.
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Adventures in America
By Sarah Westgate, University of Maryland, College Park, USA To be honest with you, I didn’t fancy a year in the US. However, I was placed here anyway, and in hindsight I don’t know why I was so against it. Sure, the politics leave something to be desired, and you can turn right on a red light (insanity!) but there are so many other things that make this country totally awesome.
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Winter at UTM
By Andrew Mortimer, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada As nice as it would be to skip them, whilst doing a year abroad, you still have to take and pass your exams. At UofT this can be pretty challenging, because the standards of the other students are very high, and their near-total focus on academics and maintaining a high GPA has the obvious benefits and drawbacks. Building up to those then, I was spending more time in the various libraries, but I still managed to enjoy the lectures and all the extra activities outside of university. For example, I was lucky enough to have a fancy meal at the top of…
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Why Madison, Wisconsin?
By Ava Griffiths, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA Madison is such a special city, and to me, it has the perfect college town vibe. The campus sits right on a lake, everything is super walkable, and the way the city and campus blend together so seamlessly is honestly just really nice, all while keeping that distinct college feel. Now, as you may have noticed, I’m the only person writing about UW-Madison on this blog. And yes, that’s because I’m the only person who chose Wisconsin all the way from Manchester. Honestly, I have no idea why more people don’t come here! Ok, maybe I’m a little biased, but I truly…
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New York City on a budget!
By Saskia Perez-Cooke, North Carolina State University, United States New York City has a reputation for being super expensive which can definitely put some students off from travelling there. But as I was nearing the end of my time of my study abroad in the states, I knew I would regret not making the trip to NYC. But fortunately I found that a trip to NYC does not necessarily have to drain your bank account- it can be done on a budget, and this blog post is here to show you how! When to visit: The cheapest time of year to visit NYC tends to be in Feb/March. I would…
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What I Packed for Studying Abroad in Canada (And What I Wish I Hadn’t)
By Rhiann Singh, University of Ottawa, Canada Packing your whole life into a suitcase (or two in my case) is an extremely stressful thing to do. As a chronic over-packer I found this really difficult. Hopefully these tips should help you plan on what to take.
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Montreal & Quebec City
By Andrew Mortimer, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada Having only been at UTM for a handful of weeks, I and a few other exchange students realised that if we wanted to explore our new surroundings, a great time to do so would be during the reading week, which was coming up in early October. Even though we hadn’t known each other long at all, 6 of us decided to book a week away in the province of Quebec—firstly Montreal and then Quebec City. This was a great decision, as we all really enjoyed the trip, especially experiencing the unique culture there. 2 days before we left, I was also lucky…
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What to Do in Austin, Texas
By Ava Griffiths, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA My friend and I headed to Austin, Texas for spring break, and we had a great time. It was a nice change to escape Wisconsin’s cold and enjoy the sunny 28°C weather. Austin is such a cool city, so I thought I’d share the best spots to check out if you ever find yourself in the Lone Star State.
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Toronto & UTM Arrival
By Andrew Mortimer, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada After I had landed, and tried poutine in the airport, my first challenge was getting successfully picked up by one of my new housemates and his girlfriend. Although they only lived 20 minutes away, in neighbouring Brampton, it had been a tricky journey for them due to her faulty car. Despite breaking down three times driving back, I was fortunately unsuperstitious and pleased to get the opportunity to speak to them more (primarily by the sides of various roads), having had to rush out of the rammed terminal queue. They were great and generous company, as well as stereotypically polite Canadians. Luckily…
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New York City Food Recommendations
By Ava Griffiths, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA I was lucky enough to visit New York City three times during my year abroad, and the energy there is unlike anywhere else. The food? Next level! I’ve put together a list of some of my favourite spots, so if you ever find yourself in the city, you’ll know exactly where to go.
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Looking Back on My Year Abroad in America!
By Ava Griffiths, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA Written on June 8th, 2024: My time abroad is swiftly drawing to a close, with my flight back to London in just two days. As I sit in one of my favorite coffee shops, Collectivo, here in Madison, I’m struggling to find the words to reflect on the past nine months. It’s been a whirlwind of a month, racing across eight different states, trying to experience as much of this vast country as possible before heading home. Now that I’m back in Madison, I finally have a moment to process the fact that I’ll be leaving for good. It is a strange…
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Reflecting On My Exchange Year: Why Studying Abroad Is Worth It
By Zarina Patel, University of Toronto, Canada I could go on FOREVER about why studying abroad is worth it. From making friends across the world to accessing learning opportunities you might not have had the chance to have otherwise. For the sake of this blog, I will break down some broad reasons as to why I believe studying abroad is simply too incredible of an opportunity to not take up. Disclaimer. There are sacrifices which have to be made when doing a year abroad. You will inevitably graduate a year after some of your first and second year course or housemates. You might spend a Christmas away from home. But…
