Studying abroad – Student testimonials from Sorbonne University, France

As part of our new blog series, we have compiled some testimonials from students about their experiences studying abroad and with the Global Mobility Office. The testimonials are sorted by region and cover a wide range of subjects, departments, and universities in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania

 

Sorbonne University – France

Student: Jessica 

Subject: Modern Languages (French and Spanish)  

As part of her Modern Languages degree, Jessica was required to spend time studying in a French-language institution, giving her a chance to put her learning into practice. She made the most of Sorbonne University’s vast academic offerings, taking a class on Paris in the 1600s and the history of France’s royal family. Jessica felt she was easily able to tailor her year abroad experience, getting chances to learn more about subjects that interested her, particularly French history and culture. 
  
In her spare time, Jessica took advantage of Sorbonne University’s location and explored Paris, visiting the Catacombs, the Pantheon, the French War Museum, the Paris National Opera, the Louvre, and many other exhibitions and institutions dedicated to famous French figures.  
 
This experience left her feeling extremely glad to have been able to study abroad, and thoroughly recommends the experience to anyone interested in learning more about other cultures and nations. 

 

Studying abroad – Student testimonials from Utrecht University, the Netherlands

As part of our new blog series, we have compiled some testimonials from students about their experiences studying abroad and with the Global Mobility Office. The testimonials are sorted by region and cover a wide range of subjects, departments, and universities in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania.

 

Utrecht University – the Netherlands

Student: Nicole 

Subject: Liberal Arts (Film and Philosophy) 

 

Nicole initially applied to study abroad as she had previously visited Utretcht to study an Art and Design course and found that an exchange to Utretcht was a perfect opportunity to learn more about her passions in the art world. She studied 17th  century Dutch Art, attending lectures, visiting museums, and took part in classes, art field trips, and guided tours to various  galleries across the Netherlands, including in Amsterdam.  

 

Nicole found this exchange was a great opportunity to travel and meet new people, and grow her confidence as someone who had never solo travelled before.  She used her free time to explore Utretcht and other cities, and highly recommends studying abroad to all students who are interested in her experience.  

Studying abroad – Student testimonials from University of North Carolina, USA

As part of our new blog series, we have compiled some testimonials from students about their experiences studying abroad and with the Global Mobility Office. The testimonials are sorted by region and cover a wide range of subjects, departments, and universities in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania.

 

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC) – USA 

Student: Sophie  

Subject: Politics 

 

Sophie described her study abroad experience as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She’d always loved the idea of studying in another country, and at UNC, she took multiple classes on her particular interest in American Politics. Her courses ranged from deep-dives into American democracy’s operation to insights into different governing systems worldwide. She also found studying abroad was a great way to develop her confidence and networking skills, and she has returned to the King’s with new knowledge in the mix of fields she studied, including history, politics, and public policy.

 

 In her downtime, Sophie took full advantage of North Carolina’s location on the East Coast and took trips to, among other places, Washington  D.C and New Orleans, exploring everything the cities had to offer, including sights, museums, and cuisines!   

 

She also spent plenty of time on the beautiful campus, where she found UNC’s campus life to be incredible, and felt a real sense of community, especially during the university’s sporting events. Now, she says she wouldn’t have gone anywhere else for her study abroad, and highly recommends UNC for those who are interested in everything American. 

Internships Guide for Outgoing Students – Viola Marsili

Viola, one of our Global Mobility Peer Advisors, has written this helpful guide for King’s students hoping to pursue an internship opportunity abroad. Viola completed an internship at Bloom Consulting, Madrid, Spain during her year abroad in 2022/23.

Places to look for an internship

General job posting websites like Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Milkround are highly valuable resources when searching for internships. They enable you to narrow down your search based on your preferred industry sectors and the specific locations you are targeting.

Sometimes, depending on the country you plan to go to, you may also come across private recruitment agencies that can facilitate connections with companies. It is worth noting that many of these agencies may charge a fee, so it is essential to conduct thorough research to ensure their legitimacy and credibility, to prevent from scams.

Additionally, I recommend visiting companies’ websites and reaching out to specific individuals via email to inquire about potential internship opportunities. Some companies only announce career openings on their own websites or might not post job advertisements on the specific social media platforms you are checking. This approach not only demonstrates your keen interest in the company but also showcases your motivation to join their team for an internship.

Help from King’s Careers Department

 It is important to note that King’s College London also provides a wealth of resources to support your research and internship endeavours. On the King’s Careers Connect website, you’ll find a dedicated section called the “Global Placements Hub,” offering a diverse range of resources to assist you in discovering interesting internship opportunities abroad. Furthermore, this platform provides valuable guidance on crafting an effective CV, interview preparation, and assessments to help you stand out during the application process.

For your placement abroad, is it likely that you will be asked by King’s to secure your internship many months in advance before starting the placement. In this regard, it is important to keep in mind that many companies only start posting Job Advertisements closer to the internship starting date. This is why it is important to consider all your options in case you are not able to secure an internship in the end.

Documents required for the Internship

As part of your internship abroad, once you have secured an internship, you will need to complete the Work Placement Approval Form provided by King’s Global Mobility Office. This document will request specific information related to your placement, which you must fill out and then seek approval from your Study Abroad Tutor. Please note that your placement abroad is not confirmed until you receive confirmation that your Study Abroad Tutor has approved it, and you have completed the KHA (details below).

Once your placement has been approved you will be asked to complete and submit the KHA, the ‘King’s Host Agreement’. This is a three-party contract that needs to be signed by the host university (King’s), the host company, and the student. I would recommend that you inform your host employer about the university’s required procedure and that they will be asked to sign this document. This is because some employers have their own internship contracts and may not be able to sign external agreements which could prevent you from doing your internship with that company.

Benefits of doing an internship

Engaging in an internship abroad comes with numerous and unique advantages. Modern Languages students at King’s are required to seek internships conducted in the target language they are studying at their home university. This not only provides an opportunity to hone their language skills but also helps in building strong confidence and communication abilities.

From my personal experience, I can attest that participating in an internship during your year abroad is a transformative experience. It plays a pivotal role in fostering personal growth and self-confidence as you navigate unfamiliar environments, developing resilience and problem-solving skills.

Furthermore, the skills you acquire during an international internship are highly transferable and beneficial for your career aspirations. Working with people from diverse backgrounds for example is advantageous in any profession. Additionally, the opportunity to apply the language you have been diligently studying during your placement in a different workplace setting, adds another layer of competence. Finally, I believe that overall, the skills and experience you gain throughout your international internship significantly enhance your employability and make it easier when you come back to your home country to successfully secure another internship or find an entry level position when you graduate.

Challenges that may arise

When you begin working in the host company, you may encounter some language barriers when assigned tasks and projects, or misunderstandings may arise when communicating with your coworkers or supervisor. However, it is important to understand that this is entirely normal and an integral part of the learning process. I would recommend approaching this experience with an open mind and the awareness that these challenges could occur. As you become more familiar with the work environment and the language, you’ll likely find that these language barriers gradually diminish.

Similarly, adapting to a new culture, customs, and work environment can pose challenges. It may take time to feel comfortable and fully integrated into the workplace. You also might observe that the company you are working for adheres to different work expectations or procedures compared to those in your home country.

If you are far from your support network, including family and friends, there may be moments when you experience loneliness. That is why it’s crucial to maintain regular communication with them, so you can share your experiences and address any issues you may encounter while abroad.

Finally, the internship experience is very different from the university environment. This is primarily because you don’t have the same level of freedom that you enjoy at university. You may find yourself working longer hours, which could limit the time you have to see your friends as frequently as you did before or leave you with less personal time.

Applying to the United States, tips by Aitana

Hi there, I’m Aitana, one of the Global Mobility Peer Advisors here at King’s! For my Year Abroad, I went to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, US.

If you’re reading this, you are probably either thinking of applying to study abroad in the US yourself or have received an offer to do so and are feeling a little lost about the next steps (and believe me, I did too!). I’m going to share a couple of tips and tricks that I learned from my experience of applying to study abroad in the US. I hope you find this useful! 😃

P.S: Remember that I am speaking from my experience of applying to and studying in the US, at Johns Hopkins University, as a King’s Study Abroad student for the 2022-2023 academic year. You should do your own research to make sure all of these tips and tricks still apply to your specific case at the time of application. Any comments on visas are based on personal experience and none of them are official visa advise, you should follow the guidance of your host university and the relevant consulate.

Before you even think about applying to study abroad in the US, you have to think about (and do research on!!):

  • The costs of applying to and living in the US, as a study abroad student: You should keep in mind that there are several things that you are going to have to pay for, such as…
    • Visa application: You are most likely going to have to apply for a J-1 Visa (that’s the one the exchange students at Johns Hopkins, including myself, had to apply for, independent of which country our passport was from). You can use this J-1 Visa Pricing Calculator to identify the estimated cost of your J-1 visa application. This cost will vary depending on your country of residence and the length of your stay.
      • J-1 application fee: $160. There is no way around this!
      • J-1 Issuance fees: This is only applicable to certain countries; you can check if this applies to you here). The size of the issuance fee also varies by country. For example, for Australia it is $105, whereas for the United Arab Emirates it is $52.
      • I-901 SEVIS Fee: $220, unless you are exempt (which I wasn’t).
      • Cost of the host university shipping your DS-2019 to your home address: The cost will vary depending on your host university and home address. For me it was around $30 (to ship from Johns Hopkins University to my home address in Switzerland).
    • Health insurance: All J-1 visa holders are required by the US Department of State to have health insurance for the full duration of their program.
      • In many circumstances, you will be eligible for your host university’s health insurance coverage. Note that this means that you still have to pay, there is no way around this!!
      • In my case, I paid $1148 per semester for the JHU student health insurance.
      • Feeling a little lost about what to do next? I recommend that you look through your host university’s website to get an idea of:
        • 1) whether you are required to pay the university’s health insurance coverage or whether you can (or have to) look for third party providers. that meet the J1 Visa requirements for health insurance coverage.
        • 2) the cost of the health insurance coverage for the duration of your entire J-1 program.
        • 3) what your health insurance covers.
      • The academic calendar: American universities’ academic calendars are different to those of UK universities. I recommend that you look through your host university’s website to see their particular academic calendars as they may differ slightly. Here are some general key differences to keep in mind:
        • Fall semester usually starts mid to late August and ends mid to late December.
          • Why does it end so late?? Well, that’s because your last week or two are going to be Exam weeks (and so your fall semester is going to end earlier or later depending on your exam schedule).
          • On the bright side, this means that you will have all your work for your Fall semester completed before the start of your Christmas break. Yes, that means no coursework due or exams to study for in January!
        • Spring semester usually starts mid to late January and ends mid to late May.
        • You can also enroll in the summer semester (if you want to and your J-1 program permits) to take classes at the university over summer. These will usually be more intensive classes with a load of 2-3 times above normal.
        • Holidays will usually be:
          • 2/3 weeks of winter vacation.
          • 10-12 weeks of summer vacation.
          • Fall break, Thanksgiving break, and Spring break will differ for each university and division within the university.
        • Opening a US Bank Account: It is a good idea to open a US bank account.
          • Why?
            • You will need it to pay for things like your cell phone plan and your health insurance.
            • It can cut down on international fees that your own bank may charge.
            • Most checking accounts in the US are free to open!
          • How? You can find more information on how to open a bank account in the US as an international student here and
          • In my case, I was able to open a US bank account at the JHU Federal Credit Union (the university’s bank) for free, and with no Maintenance fees. I needed it to pay for my cell phone plan, fees to my host university (e.g., health insurance), and anything I wanted to buy online while I was there (e.g., anything on Amazon, events, supplies, books, etc.). I was not able to pay for any of these with anything but a US bank account!
        • Getting a US phone number: It is a good idea to get a US phone number.
          • Why?
            • Your own phone number may not work in the US.
            • If your phone number does work in the US, you may have high roaming and phone call charges.
            • You need an American phone number to sign up to certain things online (e.g., events, apps, etc.).
          • How? You can find more information on how to get an American phone number as an international student here.
          • I would recommend getting an American bank account before you get an American phone number as you need an American Bank account to pay for your cell phone plan.
        • The American teaching style, and how it differs from that in the UK: Here are some of the general key differences between the American and the UK teaching styles that you should keep in mind…
          • Instead of having a few big assessments for a module that each count for a big percentage of your final grade, you will have lots of little assessments (usually on a weekly basis), each worth smaller percentages of your final grade. In my case, whilst King’s Bioscience modules usually use two assessment components (that is, an exam and an in-course assessment component), each worth 60-70% and 30-40% of the final mark for the module respectively, JHU used numerous assessment components, administered on a weekly basis, each usually worth from 1 to 20% of the final mark for the module.
          • Instead of 70% and above being a first, 70% and above in the US is a C- (which is the minimum grade you need to pass). When I first heard this, I got really stressed, but don’t worry, it is A LOT easier to get a 70% in the US compared to the UK, and most people get 80-90%. You can find more details on this here.
          • In non-lecture-based modules, attendance and participation can be a part of your grade.
        • The Visa application process & other paperwork: There is A LOT of paperwork you need to do once you get an offer to study abroad in the US. Make sure to do your research on this and ideally start the Visa application process as soon as you receive your offer to avoid any delays.
        • Getting part-time work as an international student: If you were thinking of getting a part-time job while you study in the US to pay for some of the costs, you need to keep in mind that you will have some limitations depending on your Visa type. As a J-1 Visa holder, I was allowed to work up to 20 hours per week and this needed to be on-campus. You will only be allowed to work off-campus if you are faced with an unforeseen economic hardship which arises after acquiring your J/1 status. You can find more information on securing part-time employment as a J-1 Visa holder here. Things do change quite quickly so do check the rules once you are at the host university to establish weather you can work or not.