Student experiences written by outbound and inbound King's study abroad students
There are a few peculiarities in the German university system that you will notice: at the end of classes the students knock on the desks, for example! The classes at Heidelberg start 15 minutes past the hour and finish 15 minutes before the time stated on your timetables, to allow staff and students to move between rooms.
Continue reading “Lucy Baughan, 2014-2015 at Heidelberg University”
1. The Schloss: Heidelberg feels like a mixture of Oxford, York and Durham: it’s a quaint town nestled between two hills on the river Neckar, and the Uni is the oldest in Germany. It’s therefore no wonder that it’s full of american and japanese tourists photographing the architecture. This beautiful castle ruin is where they go first. This icon of HD isn’t just for visitors – your climb is rewarded by a stunning panoramic view over the town, as far as the hills of the beautiful Pfalz wine region. The ‘Schlossbeleuchtungen’ spread out over three separate nights between June and September draw a huge crowd: the castle is specially lit up and fireworks shoot up from the castle on the hill and the ‘Altebrücke’ below, their reflection shimmering in the river.
Continue reading “Verity Roberts, 2013-2014 at Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat, Heidelberg”
The ENS is a very prestigious place to be at in France academically, being one of the few grandes écoles that exist. I was inspired to apply here because famous theorists such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Raymond Aron studied here at some point in their careers. If you get to go as an exchange student, you are extremely fortunate in that you do not have to pass the notoriously difficult French entrance exams. There is also an important difference in the type of student you will meet at ENS: an elève is accepted via the concours and is remunerated by the state (i.e. paid monthly), whilst an étudiant applies via dossier and is not remunerated. Regardless, because it is so hard to get in,you will meet highly intelligent and intellectually stimulating people who all have something to say in a conversation; they are especially receptive to international students, perhaps because the university itself is has only a fraction of the students in comparison to King’s.
Continue reading “Oscar Davies, 2014-2015 at Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris”
Finding accommodation was one of the hardest parts of living in Paris. Firstly, even as a study abroad student, you are not guaranteed housing. I was not allocated a spot in the university accommodation. The ones associated with Parisian universities are not located in the best areas of Paris. However, they are convenient and most likely cheaper than anything else you will find. I believe that it’s worth applying in May just to see if university housing is an option for you.
Continue reading “Violeta Todorova, 2013-2014 at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III)”
I’m pretty sure all new Geography undergraduates will have sat through a ‘What is Geography?’ lecture at some point in their academic lives. After my semester abroad at the National University of Singapore I don’t think I would be able to sit through such a talk without screaming out ‘Studying abroad’. Taking part in a student exchange encompasses the discipline throughout.
The language of study in Singapore is English so there were no language barriers plus my grades counted as credits towards my degree so I did not elongate the time taken to complete my degree. Here are ten ways various experiences and opportunities gained through studying abroad enhanced my Geography degree. Even though Geography is awesome I do note not everyone studies it at university…some reflections highlight the advantages of studying abroad for any degree and are not Geography or language specific at all
Continue reading “Meera Ved, 2011-12, National University of Singapore”