Student Evaluation Form. Economics and International Relations Exchange Institution

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1 Vic OE Student Evaluation Form A. Student Information Degree(s) enrolled in at VUW BA Major(s) Economics and International Relations Exchange Institution University of Leeds, UK VUW Trimester(s) and Year of Exchange 2012 Trimester 1 B. Finances Please provide an estimate on how much you spent on your exchange (in your host country s currency). Food & personal spending 700 Accommodation 1800 Return Airfare 1200 Local Travel Books, misc. levies (e.g. student association) Visa 2000 (including Europe travel) 55 Insurance 220 Other (please specify) 0.00 (British citizen) Total = 5975 How did your financial expenses compare to what you originally expected to spend? About the same By what means did you maintain your finances? (Credit card, foreign bank account, travelers checks, etc)? A Travelex preloaded master card and a credit card as back up. What financial advice would you give students attending the same university as you? Ask host Universities if it is easy to open bank accounts (I was told by numerous financial advisors in NZ it was impossible, then arrived and discovered it was very easy). Otherwise, the Travelex card is definitely the way to go. Were there any extra or unexpected costs which future students should be aware of? Not that I found. What was the average cost of a can of coke or coffee in your host country? From a dairy: 1.00 (I think never bought one) At a pub/café: ??

2 C. Visas & Insurance Do you have any advice for future students when applying for visas to your host country? You don t need one for less than 6 months as a NZ citizen going to England. Just apply at immigration as a student visitor. If it s more than 6 months, you will need one. What insurance company did you use and would you recommend it to future students? I used travel insurance through my travel agent House of Travel. I m about to go claim money so hopefully that goes ok!! C. Academics Which courses did you take while on exchange? Please rate the difficulty of each course (1-5, 1 = Very Easy & 5 = Extremely Difficult) and leave any comments you may have. Course Title Language VUW course VUW Rating (1- Comments of equivalent points/credits 5) Instruction (if applicable) value Introduction to Econometrics Intermediate Microeconomics State and Politics in Africa English QUAN Useful but boring. English ECON Badly taught, but a core paper. English INTP/POLS Very interesting course but extremely Eurocentric and needed more class time. North Linkages South English INTP I m a little biased as this is exactly my area of interest; delivered, well well taught but could have done with more lectures. I think academic the has moved on so it might not be as

3 good anymore. How did you find the teachers at your exchange university? On the whole, very good. How did your academic experience differ from your time spend at Victoria? There was certainly less of it a full time work load for a BA student is 6 hours per week. How did your academic experiences differ from what you expected? I was expecting more of a challenge and more class time. Do you have any advice for future students when choosing and applying for courses? Go with whatever interests you and be prepared for a lot of free time!! D. Accommodation What form of accommodation did you stay in? University accommodation (Lupton residences). It was a complex of 5 person flats. What were the pros and cons of this form of accommodation? It was pretty much the cheapest, and I like the flat set-up as opposed to a traditional hall of residence. The location wasn t great (30min walk to campus, 40min to town), the buses were too expensive to use and the accommodation was far from luxurious. What accommodation would you recommend to future students? Yes simply because of the price. I had a great time there and used the spare money for travel whilst other people paid a lot more and had a worse deal. Do you have any tips of advice for future students when applying for accommodation? It really is a gamble unless you know someone there it s pot luck whether it s good or not. Just be flexible. F. Culture What were some of the hardest cultural differences you faced while abroad? I went to England so there weren t any significant cultural differences. Just minor nuances. How would you recommend students to prepare for these differences? Well, nothing other than being open minded and flexible.

4 Did you face any issues regarding discrimination in your host country? What were they, and what advice would you give to future students? None. G. Other opportunities Did you take part in an internship or any volunteer activities while on exchange? If so, please explain. Unfortunately no. Are there are great clubs or associations etc. you recommend other students get involved with while on exchange at you host uni? I joined the music society which was a lot of fun and full of awesome people. What are your Top 5 Things To Do at your host university or city/country? 1. Go to York 2. Go to the Old Bar at Leeds University Student Union. 3. Visit London and Edinburgh 4. Have high tea somewhere pretty 5. Go for a walk in the Yorkshire dales. H. Personal Response Please write one paragraph about your exchange experience. Plus, don t forget to submit some photos to the exchange office!! I undertook a one semester exchange to the University of Leeds in the UK for the first semester of 2012, studying Economics and International Relations. The academic side of the exchange was less of a presence than I expected there was very little class, not too many assignments and an entire month break over Easter. I did, however, get some valuable insights into other educational styles and my particular majors made England and Europe fascinating places to be in their current climate. While based in Leeds I met many incredible people, from wide ranges of backgrounds and countries, making my social life vibrant and plentiful! I also got the chance to explore parts of the UK and Europe, the latter generally being cheaper given exorbitant transport prices in the UK. Over Easter break I spent two weeks around Spain before meeting up with a friend in Barcelona and Interrailing (a rail pass that can be used on most European trains) around Western and central Europe. At the end of my exams I also spent a few weeks around Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Travel solo in Europe is an incredibly rewarding experience; the close proximity and range of countries is astonishing and the backpackers hostel/couch surfing culture allows you to meet so many wonderful people.

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