Experience report
Name: Fleur Konings
E-mail: f.w.a.konings@tilburguniversity.edu
Exchange semester: Spring 2015
Academic year: 3rd year Bachelor, 2014-2015
Host University: University of Sheffield
Country: United Kingdom
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
How was your arrival organized? Did someone pick you up from the airport/station? Was an
orientation or introduction activity organized? How was accommodation organized? Does the
university provide you with accommodation? What kind of accommodation does the university
provide? Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a place
to live after you arrived?
My arrival in Sheffield was organized really well. I flew to Manchester airport and took the train to
Sheffield. (try to book the train in advance, because it is much cheaper) I applied for university
accommodation, but you couldn’t move into the accommodation until after the orientation, so I had to
stay in a hostel for the first few days. I arrived a few days before orientation to explore the city a little
bit. The orientation program lasted 3 days. There were some tours around the campus and the city
and also a few social events. The orientation is not that special, but it’s a nice way to meet some other
exchange students. I would definitely recommend going to the orientation, because that is the time
where you can meet everyone. On the last day of orientation we could move into our accommodation.
I lived in Endcliffe Village, which is approximately a 30-minute walk from the university. It is a really
nice accommodation, with your own bedroom + bathroom and shared kitchen/ living room, which you
share with 6, 8 or 10 people (depends on your flat). I would definitely recommend living in university
accommodation, because you will live together with many exchange and first year students. On the
downside you do pay quite a lot of money for rent, but a large majority seemed to have chosen for
university accommodations. You can choose between catered and self-catered accommodation, I
have no experience with the catered accommodations, but I heard that you don’t have a kitchen and
that the food you get isn’t that great, so I was really happy I chose for the self-catered option. Endcliffe
Village is a sort of park with a lot of flats, all the flats have different names. Almost all the international
students lived in the Millstone flats. I didn’t live in Millstone, but in Froggatt. So I lived with British
students and just 1 other exchange student. I really liked this, because then you also get to meet
some British students and it’s just a one-minute walk to Millstone, so you’re still very close to all the
international students. The accommodation had to be booked in advance, about 2-3 months before
actually leaving to Sheffield.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
Please describe the city you lived in. Where is the university located in the city? What is the best
place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? What are interesting things to see and do in your host
city? What was different than in Tilburg?
Sheffield is a student city in the middle of the United Kingdom and it is really close to other cities like
Leeds, Manchester, York etc. Sheffield is the fourth biggest city in the UK, but it doesn’t seem that
big. The city is build on a hill, so the roads can be very steep sometimes. That’s why nobody rides a
bike, everyone always walks to the university. Sheffield has two universities; the University of
Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University. The University of Sheffield is located in the city centre, the
campus is much bigger than in Tilburg and spread throughout the city centre. Though all the buildings
are within walking distance of each other. The university buildings look amazing and the best place to
go to is the Student’s Union. Here there are cafes, bars, restaurants, clubs, study spaces and shops,
it’s a great place to meet people before or after lectures. Also in the basements there are 3 clubs and
a couple of nights every week they organize parties. The best night is on Saturday, when they
organize ‘Pop Tarts’. The university has its own sports centre which is located between the university
accommodation and the campus. For residents in university accommodations there are also free
sports teams you can join. Every year in spring there is a sports event called ‘Varsity’ between the
University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, and the end of this week there is an ice
hockey game between the two universities which is really worth going to.
For food and pubs West street is very good, it’s within walking distance of the campus. There are also
some clubs on West Street, also a lot of clubs are on Division Street and Carver Street. Next to that
there are some great clubs around the city. On Wednesdays everyone goes to Corporation, they
organize a school disco and when you dress in a white shirt and a tie, you get a discount at the
entrance. Other great clubs are Leadmill (Friday) and Plug (Thursday). Compared to Tilburg the
student (night)life revolves more around the union as part of the university and is less dependent on
student/study associations.
Interesting things do see in Sheffield are the city centre (Town Hall and the Cathedral), and there are
some amazing parks; which include the Botanical Gardens, Endcliffe Park and Weston Park (on
campus). There is also a big indoor shopping mall called Meadowhall outside the city centre.
TOPIC: Academics
Which courses did you take and why? Which courses would you recommend? What did the courses
add to your program at Tilburg University? How does the university compare to Tilburg University
concerning the level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English, workload, etc.? Overall,
were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange? Please describe the
campus of your host university.
I took three courses; Restorative Justice, International Human Rights Law and The Social and
Economic Context of Regulation.
Restorative Justice was a little disappointing. It seemed really easy at first, but in the end it was just
learning articles and opinions of researchers, which I found very boring. Also the exam was difficult,
because you had to remember all the researchers by name to get a good mark. I liked International
Human Rights Law, but because I’m not an IER student, I was a little behind on international law. The
Social and Economic Context of Regulation was okay, the module was divided in a lot of modern
topics and I liked that. Also I really liked that you didn’t have to write an exam, you only had to write
an essay of 5000 words.
Compared to Tilburg the workload is higher, especially regarding the amount of articles you have to
read. You have to read a lot before every lecture or seminar. The lectures and seminars are high
quality. I think the amount of contact hours are the same as in Tilburg. The material provided was not
all useful, for example I bought two books that I barely used. Exams are different from Dutch exams
as it requires you to write essays with references, but in an exam environment. For example for one
exam I had to pick 4 out of 10 questions and I had to answer the questions like it were essays. The
level of the modules is good, but the exams were really difficult. You only need 40% to pass, but you
still need to do quite a lot of work for it. For top grades you need to memorize a lot of sources. This
report is due before I get my results so I can’t further comment on that.
TOPIC: Social life
Which social activities organized by the university or students? Did you have contact with local
students? Did you have contact with other exchange students? How did you get along with the local
students and other exchange students? Did you travel to other places/countries during your
exchange?
There were a lot of activities organized by the university. Almost every night, there was a party or
activity at the Students’ Union. In the beginning there were a lot of parties and activities for you to get
to know other exchange people. Also every Thursday in the Students’ Union, there is the One World
Café, it’s a place where you can meet international students and have a drink or play board games. I
did have contact with local students, because I lived with 8 British students. I really liked this, because
we went out a lot together, and you learn a lot about the UK and the British culture. Next to that I had
a group of international friends. During my stay in Sheffield I had 3 weeks off in April so I went to
Dublin, Edinburgh and London with some friends. The university also has a program called ‘Give it a
Go’. You can try a lot of things with this program like sports and hobbies. But they also organize trips
to other cities for not a lot of money. I went to Oxford, Cambridge and York. I also recommend going
to Chatsworth House and the Harry Potter Studios.
TOPIC: Living costs
How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg University?
What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? What did you spend most of your
money on? What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Please outline your
approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange: housing, food, textbooks, etc.
I don’t have an exact number that I spend and it differed per month, but I think you should keep in
mind around a €1000 per month. Living costs are higher than in Tilburg and especially the university
accommodation is expensive (but worth it). Also the exchange rate of the pound is high. Most of my
money I spend on housing and after that food/traveling. I also spend quite some money on going out,
because you need to pay entrance fees at every club. I financed my exchange through my own
savings, support from my family and the loan from the government.
TOPIC: Culture
Did you experience culture shock while on exchange? How would you compare your host culture to
your own culture? What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange? What was different
about your host culture than you expected? What did you like and not like about your host culture? Do
you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to learn more? How
would you describe your host countries culture? If you travelled to other cities/countries during your
exchange, were they different than your host city/country, and how?
I did not experience a culture shock in the United Kingdom. The culture is just about the same as in
the Netherlands. The most noticeable differences are that people are very friendly and helpful and
that the pub plays a key role in the local social life. Students tend to go to the pub after they finished a
day of lectures to have a drink before dinner.
TOPIC: Personal development
What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange? Would you do things differently if
you had the chance, and what would you do differently? What was your best experience, and what
was your worst experience? What will you remember for ever about your exchange period? What was
the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange period?
An exchange is a once in a life time experience and I am really happy that I took this opportunity. My
best experience is definitely the people I’ve met. I’ve met people from all over the world and I’m still
talking to some of them and we’ve already planned some trips together. Other than that I really liked
the 3 weeks holiday in April. You should used them well and travel. I know a lot of people who went
back home during those weeks, but I’d recommend using them to travel to Scotland and Ireland (or
other places in Europe). My worst experience probably was the exam period. The exams are much
more difficult than in Tilburg and they planned all my exams and essays in just a few days after each
other.
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Would you recommend an exchange period? Would you recommend your host university? What
should prospective students bring with them/leave behind? What preparation is required for going on
exchange to this destination? Was there anything you should have done in preparation that you didn’t
do?
I would definitely recommend an exchange period and I think Sheffield is one of the best places you
can go in the UK. It’s a central city in the UK, in just a few hours you can travel to London or to
Scotland. Also the university does arrange a lot for you, especially the accommodation was really
nice. It is great that you can live with all the international students. The university organizes a lot of
events and wants to make sure that you have a great time and meet a lot of new people.
You do have to prepare well. Make sure you have the right paperwork with you (for Erasmus,
accommodation, tickets etc.). Also I can recommend bringing enough money. You’ll see when you’re
there you want to do more than you might anticipated at first. You should be able to do everything you
want to do and don’t have to worry about money.