Callum Cashal: UK, University of Leicester, S1 2012

Name: Callum Cashel

Course: Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice and Bachelor of International Studies

Host University: University of Leicester

Dates: 22 January to 18 May 2012

  • Academic Requirements:

The academic requirements were essentially identical to that of Flinders, that is for the law and International studies degrees. It entailed the tutorial and lecture system, with required readings which were commented on during the tutorial. The assessment was quite basic, as we were only there for a semester, and at Leicester, topics run all year, with an end of year exam.

  • Living and Recommendations

I stayed in University administered housing, designed for couples (as I went on exchange with my partner) this type of accommodation was suitable for our needs and I was reasonably happy with it.

  • Finances and Cost

The money I received from scholarships and the OS-HELP loan, along with personal savings was more than enough. The cost of living in England is incredibly cheap and doubly so in smaller cities.

  • Cultural Differences

Since I studied in England, the cultural differences are slight, but they were different enough to know I was studying in a totally different part of the world!

  • Fears

Not really, the main one was money – but that stopped being an issue after my first visit to the grocery store!

  • Friends

I made some great friends among both the exchange students and the locals but the University made it difficult to get to know local students. Tutorials were segregated into local and international classes. The Erasmus Society did well to bridge the gap.

  • A Typical Day

Wake up at about 7am (because classes start at 8), get organised and walk the 500m from my accommodation to the University in the English winter, go to class for a couple of hours, then either go to the pub or play some football, depending on the day.

  • Rewarding Experience

The exchange was a great opportunity to travel within the UK and Europe, which I definitely took advantage of. Academically, it was great to study some similar things to back home but from the perspective of the UK which is greatly different from Australia’s. Personally, I built some great friendships which I will hold onto for a very long time.

  • Program Highlight

The 4 week Easter break, where I hired a Wicked van and toured all through Scotland.

  • Tips and Advice

The due date for the application may be way off, but there is a great deal of organising to get done in between now and then and inevitably, things go wrong, so you have to leave space for that! Get down to STA Travel on campus early, even though you can’t really book your flight before receiving confirmation from your host university. If you need to get something done, keep pestering the International Office or the course faculty until it’s done.

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Outbound Returned Student Interviews

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