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My highlights from studying in Hong Kong
would be learning about Hong Kong, learning about China
and Asia in general and it was really exciting to learn about
China's trade, the development in equality issues, those kind of things whilst
being at the heart of the er issue
whereas studying them back in the UK it seems like a long way away, you can't really relate.
Actually being in Hong Kong is a great place to learn.
My best experience has to be that
in a class of thirty there was actually nineteen different nationalities
which brought so many different cultures, different perspectives
um it was really interesting and I've never had that before,
so that was definitely a highlight.
It's really difficult to pick my best experience from my year abroad
because I had so many that I really enjoyed,
but one of the things that was good about the uni was that they organised lots of activities
specifically for international students to make us feel welcome.
My best experience in my year abroad was the European road trip
that we've done with my friends. Um we took advantage of Austria being
in the heart of Europe and visited neighbouring countries as well as
villages and little cities in Austria
and learned a lot about culture and traditions of those places.
My study abroad experience prepared me for
my final year by really giving me some good time management skills.
I had a lot, a lot more contact hours than I was used to at Exeter,
upward to probably 20 hours a week and some more regular assignments as well
so to fit all that in whilst have a good time,
required you to be quite disciplined and that's something that I'll take forward to this year.
I think now that i'm in my final year of study, my attitude towards education's really changed
and the fact that it's an opportunity to really be seized as opposed to just
a chore, where kind of you have to go to early lectures and that kind of thing, like,
you've only got a few years and you've really got to make the most of it.
Well before I went abroad, I wasn't aware of how good
an opportunity and how fun working internationally was.
However since coming back to Exeter
I know that I can embrace a new culture and I know that I can adapt
to new cultures so in the future, I'd really like to embrace
and to go to different countries to be able to work and see what other countries have to offer.
I think how my year abroad has prepared me for my future career
um because I've become more of an employable person in general.
I think not every student can say that they've been abroad
and I think that really opens doors to you,
and when I've been on interviews and I've said that I've been on a year abroad,
generally the employer is very impressed and intrigued to know how it went.
I think when a young person can actually live abroad, it does show something about
how mature they are and responsible so,
I think yeah it's very beneficial for employability, definitely.
I think my study abroad year has prepared me for my future career
by really opening my eyes to the work overseas, before I did it there's no way
I'd have considered working in, you know, the States or Asia but now I'm much more aware of
immersing myself in another country, in another culture
and the opportunities that Asia presents as a job market.
I think study abroad prepared me for my future career
by teaching me about communication skills with diverse teams,
flexibility and adaptability to a new business environment.
How's my work placement prepared me for my future career?
Um pretty well I'd say. I've been, recently I've been offered a job
at a large professional service company
and they highlighted the fact that my experiences on my year abroad,
the language ability and the skills and the competencies that I was able to build up
through that experience, were exactly what they needed.
Well because my experience was so good I wanted to continue that this year,
so I became the President of an International Society and this involves making sure
that the incoming international students are felt... are welcomed
and feel at home in Exeter. Um so we organise events
and we organise trips for them to make sure that they see what's British
and embrace the culture.
One of the challenges of my study abroad was the language.
I took a basic course at Exeter and when I got to Austria
I took other intensive courses and language classes to improve my knowledge of
German and that really helped.
My piece of advice
for students considering the study abroad year would be to really explore the list of
destinations on offer, there's some really exciting ones in it
it does change I think on a yearly basis.
There's certainly been some new ones added since I went
so so have a look someone new, somewhere that excites you
and and take... take the gamble on it.
The advice I'd give people going on their study abroad year would be
be aware to actually research the different universities available to you;
I did that before and found that hugely beneficial.
Also do use the students that have been on year abroads as a resource
because we've got loads of kinda tricks of the trade and advice that
we can give people,
you know how to get cheap travel and stuff so
I think that's yeah definitely some advice.
I'm always recommending studying abroad to students at Exeter,
it develops you in ways you couldn't imagine,
from studying with students from around the world, to clubbing
together when you're studying in an environment you're not used to you.
I feel I've made friends for life.
The Study Abroad year is a once in a lifetime opportunity
and if you don't do it, you'll regret it.