ANR: 269585
Name: Iris Kuijpers
E-mail: I.Kuijpers@hotmail.com
Exchange semester: Spring, 2015
Academic year: third
Host University: University of Chester
Country: England
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
In my opinion, my host university was located in one of the most beautiful cities I’ve seen so far:
Chester. It’s a historical city in England located between Liverpool and Manchester and marked by
ancient roman walls, a cathedral, a park full of adorable squirrels, a gorgeous city center, the secondmost photographed clock in the UK, and a horseraces course. It’s also known for one of the better zoos
in the UK. Chester University has several campuses divided all over the city, however, the main
campus is a bit more north from the city center, which means a ten minute walk. On the main campus
there are plenty of housing facilities, there is a library with a 24/7 area, and there are laundry facilities.
What really stands out is the sports mentality.
On the campus there are two big sports fields, there are tennis courses, but there also is a
(free)swimming pool, a sports hall and a gym. During the term, every Friday evening a sports event
was organized called: circuits. Which meant that all sport societies gathered in the sports hall on
campus and worked-out together. The circuits mostly existed of about 25 exercises of 45 seconds, then
a two-minutes break and another 25 exercises. Really exhausting, but oh man, such a great motivation
to see around two-hundred students work-out together! Next to the sports facilities, there are food
facilities: there is a dining hall, two Starbucks’s and there is a Student Union Bar.
The Student Union Bar (also known as: SU) is the place to be on Friday. SU Friday is a real concept in
Chester, which, unfortunately, also includes: big queue’s. However, once you’ve arrived at the bar, it
means: cheap drinks, good music and a lot of fun with all the other students. Saturday nights are meant
to chill out, which is the best at Telford’s Warehouse while listening to great live music. At Monday
the place to be is at Cruise which is a big club. Tuesdays at Alexander’s Open Mic night listening to
local talents. Wednesday is society night, which means that societies gather at the SU, go to Off The
Wall (a bar) and end up at a club called Rosies. On Thursday it’s karaoke night at a pub called George
and Dragon’s and then the week starts over again!
There are several places to have good and payable food. Off the Waffle for yummy waffles topped
with loads of chocolate, Hanky Panky for American pancakes with a choice of toppings, Sergio Italian
for the best pasta and risotto in the city, The Bouverie for pub food against a fair price, but my favorite
spot to eat was at ‘The Watergate’. The service sucked, but the place is amazing. It’s located in a
basement and it’s beautifully decorated. The food was really good, so definitely a recommendation (if
you have better waiters).
In my opinion, there are rarely similarities to Tilburg, except for the fact that Chester and Tilburg are
both wealthy countries. Where Tilburg is full of bicycles, you rarely see one at Chester and therefore
everyone goes by foot. The infrastructure is therefore more pedestrian friendly as there are several
subways in Chester whereby you can safely cross a road under the ground. Cars drive on the left in
Chester whereas in Tilburg they drive right which can be really confusing sometimes. Chester is
BEAUTIFUL, whereas I consider Tilburg as one of the ugliest cities of the Netherlands. Not only the
city center and the old English buildings in Chester are lovely, but also the surroundings: hills!! The
Netherlands as a flat country has its charms, and is very practical for cyclers, but I love being
surrounded by mountains and hills. Furthermore, Chester is much smaller than Tilburg and people are
always friendly. However, what I won’t miss are the prices. It’s so super expensive being and living in
England. Prices don’t differ too much from the prices in the Netherlands, however, the euro was in a
very bad position against the pound, whereby 1 pound was sometimes equal to 1,42 euro’s. Oh, and
not to forget, people dress-up differently while going out in Chester. To summarize: I call it too much
make-up and too naked. It might be my opinion, but make your own judgement while being there.
Chester has several faculties: Arts and Media; Business, Enterprise and Lifelong Learning; Education
and Children’s Services; Health and Social Care; Humanities; Life Sciences; Science and Engineering,
and Social Science. And there are also several Academic and Support departments. The University of
Chester has around 18.000 students out of 130 countries. Students have to take 120 credits per year,
which means six modules of 20 credits. Modules run for the whole year, but have mostly two points of
examination either by writing a paper or doing an exam. This differs per faculty and study.
Being an international, single-term student, I entered halfway in the modules. However, as I was free
and flexible at choosing modules, there was no problem. I had to introduce myself to every teacher,
and they had to determine whether I would either write a 2000 word paper or do an exam equivalent to
2000 words. This paper or exam would determine my grade.
II PRACTICL INFORMATION
Information before you left
As I really wanted to study in England, and my faculty didn’t have any connections in England, I
chose to study abroad in cooperation with ISEP (International Student Exchange Program). Making
that decision meant for me that I had to make a list of choices for my host universities, whereby I had
to write an individual motivation to each of them. In addition, I had to take the TOEFL test to
determine if my level of English was sufficient to get accepted to my preferred university and I had to
ask professors and teachers to write recommendations about ‘why I was a suitable candidate to study
abroad’. As you can imagine, it took me much more effort than going on exchange to a connection of
the university. After applying for several destinations, I heard my final destination around the end of
October, so two months before my departure. It was all in line with the prescribed procedure, so I was
prepared for knowing my destination late. After knowing my destination, the communication with my
host university went really smooth and I got my pre-arrival information in time.
Visa procedure and arrival
I didn’t need a visa to enter England. Once I arrived at the airport, a taxi driver and another
international student, which later appeared to be my roommate, were waiting for me at the arrivals.
The taxi driver took us to Chester, where we got provided with emergency bedding and food packages
as it was fairly late in the evening. Everyone knew about our arrival, and I considered it as a warm
welcome. After that, someone of the staff took us to our accommodation by car.
Orientation/Introduction activities
The first week at the university was an induction week. Every day the university arranged several
activities for us in order to ensure us that we knew everything about the university’s and the city’s
culture. In that week, we choose our modules with our exchange coordinator and we got guided
through the city by other students.
Housing
My accommodation was a student hall housing 71 students. I had to share my room with another
international student, but we had bathroom facilities just for the two of us. It was a great opportunity to
get to know international and British students. As I studied in Chester in cooperation with ISEP, it
took me longer to know my final destination, however, ISEP arranged my housing. I was satisfied
with the accommodation, not only because it was easy to get in touch with others, but also because it
was a great location just between the main campus and the city center.
Living Costs
Going on exchange in cooperation with ISEP has cost me 3.450 euro’s which fully covered my
housing, but also covered a bit of food expenses whereby I got 100 pounds per three weeks from the
university. All-in-all a good deal as living costs in England are very high, whereby I would normally
pay a 110 pounds per week for the hall I’ve been living in. A large amount of my money was spend on
food, which I think is always a very useful purpose of spending money on. However, other big
expenses where on going out. Alcohol is really expensive, and sometimes you already pay a lot of
money to get into a club. Therefore people try to get wasted before going out, so costs can be reduced
as much as possible. Next to food and going-out, a lot of money went to travelling. Chester is in a
really good location whereby you easily reach an airport and there is a good connection to London and
other places within the UK and Ireland. However, I’d definitely recommend to buy a railcard as
travelling by train can be really expensive. There is a railcard available for people between 16-26 (if
I’m right) which costs 30 pounds, but reduces one-third from every time you travel by train. I’ve been
to London and Edinburgh by train, and that trip saved me already more money than the railcard had
cost me. However, there are (cheaper) alternatives for the train, for instance buses and coaches, but it,
logically, takes you longer to reach the preferred destination. I have no idea how much I have
approximately spent each month, so it’ll be really difficult to give an indication of a monthly budget.
Academic Calendar
As I’ve mentioned before, an academic year in Chester doesn’t exist of semesters. However, I arrived
at the 11th of January, which was the official arrival day. The first week was for induction, and the 19 th
of January was my first week of lectures. In Chester the last day of classes really depends on which
year you’re taking modules on. In the second year, students are supposed to do a placement and
therefore the semester stops earlier. As an international student you’re not obliged to do a placement,
so it means: holiday more early. I took four second year courses and two third year courses. The last
official day of lectures for second year modules was the 27th of March, with exams taking place
between the 20th of April and the first of May, whereas my third year modules had the last classes at
the 15th of May with exams between 25 May and 12 June. I was fortunate as my last exam was at the
second of June. During the term I had one week off because of ‘Development Week’. It’s a week
whereby you are able to participate in several workshops, however, development week is generally
known as holiday. Next to development week, there is a big break with Easter, which includes three
weeks off. There were also several bank holidays whereby we regularly had a Monday or another day
off. I really think we should introduce so many holidays in the Netherlands!!
The International Office
There is an international office at Chester University, with different people responsible for Erasmus
and ISEP students. In my opinion, it was easy to get in touch with them. I didn’t need to be in touch
with them frequently, but when I needed them, they provided me with helpful information.
Exchange promotion
As I was the only one from the Netherlands during my exchange, I’ve already been busy explaining to
people that the Netherlands consists of more cities than just Amsterdam. However, I’ve been in touch
with many people during my exchange and told them about the differences and similarities with
Tilburg University. Therefore I hope that I was an eye-opener for them to look into the Netherlands a
bit more and see that we have more in our country than Amsterdam and legalized weed.
Social Activities
The university arranged an induction week for exchange students to give them an insight in the
university and city life. Next to that, there was a society fair whereby all societies had a chance to
display themselves and attract new members. The university also arranged, against payment, a few
trips to several destinations within the UK. For instance to Wales, Stratford-upon-Avon and York.
Chester University provides a huge range of over 100 sports and societies, where the international
society is one of. I became an active member of the Women’s Basketball Society. However, what the
university also arranged was two weeks of free try-out sessions at each of its societies, which meant
that in two week time, I tried over ten of societies and sports. It’s a good opportunity to try-out sports
you’ve always wanted to try, such as Quidditch or Pole Dancing, or just to look which society is the
best match for you. As I was living in a huge student hall with 71 students, it was very easy for me to
get in touch with both local students and exchange students.
I’ve been travelling quite a lot during my exchange. As we had a large amount of spare time and
holidays, I’ve been travelling to all countries within the UK plus Ireland. During the development
week, I, together with six other internationals, went a few days to London and Edinburgh. London was
really nice, but Edinburgh was AMAZING. I will definitely recommend everyone to visit Edinburgh
at least once in a lifetime. During the three weeks Easter break, I decided to go to Ireland and
Northern-Ireland by myself. I’ve been backpacking for two weeks, starting from Dublin and going
higher up to Newcastle, Belfast, Portstewart and Derry. I consider those two weeks of solo travelling
as the best weeks of my exchange. During my trip I’ve met so many inspiring and nice people, it’s
unbelievable how easily you get in touch with others while travelling on your own. Definitely a
recommendation! In addition, Ireland and Northern-Ireland are really backpack friendly. The scenery
is amazing and the locals are sooo friendly (if you can understand them with their thick accent, haha).
Next to those big trips, I’ve been doing a few day trips, among others to the Lake District, York and
several places within Wales.
Culture and Language
As England is wealthy and European country, just as the Netherlands, I didn’t really experience a
culture shock. Food habits are different, traffic is different, but people are oh so friendly and I’ve
experienced this high level of friendliness everywhere in the UK. It’s funny, because I’ve barely heard
people talking rudely. Sarcasm is their way of showing their disagreement or frustration. However, I
learned from my own culture that we can be more direct than other cultures. We more easily tell what
we think and want. In addition, I think we trust people more than, for instance, Americans do. To draw
an example, while being in London and Edinburgh, for me it was really normal to ask people for the
right way, however, the five Americans I travelled with really wanted to figure everything out on their
own, which was a hassle sometimes. I haven’t followed any language courses while being on
exchange, because in my opinion, with an American roommate and dozens of British housemates, I
thought it would be better to learn English in practice. No regrets. I didn’t really have any language
problems, however, sometimes when the Brits talked really fast, it was difficult to understand them. In
addition, especially in the beginning, it’s difficult to express yourselves in another language. However,
I got used to it as the time went by.
Personal Development
From a social and cultural point of view, I don’t think the experience has had a significant effect on
me. I’ve been to Indonesia before, by myself. That experience was a real eye-opener. I learned a lot
about cultures and differences, therefore I was already pretty much used to cultural and social
differences. However, the experience confirmed my characteristics as a social being. I really easily got
in touch with both locals and internationals. From a future career point of view, the exchange
experience has definitely affect me. During my exchange period, I’ve been taking other modules than
my major. I study Communication, but I took Business modules. Those Business modules really
appealed to me. I found them really interesting, and therefore I found out that a combination of
Communication and Business can be a perfect match for me in my future career. In addition, studying
in a native English country has improved my level of English.
If I would go on exchange, another time, I’d prefer to go in the fall semester. As at Chester University
academic years didn’t know semesters, it was very weird to come into the university halfway. It was
really well organized though, however, most internationals started in the fall and stayed throughout the
whole year. Coming in at the half made it more difficult for me to get in touch with the other
internationals. The important lesson I learned is that you need to be brave and you need to do what’s
best for yourself. Don’t try to please everyone. The best thing I’ve done, therefore, is the two-weeks
backpacking on my own. I’ll never forget the beauty of Chester and its amazing scenery, and I’ll never
forget the friends I’ve made.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at host university
As I stayed in a native English country, all courses where offered in English. Therefore, choosing
modules was no problem as I could choose from everything they offered in the second term. I took six
courses predominantly into Business: Human Resource Management, Decision Making Management,
Managing Employee Performance, and Leadership and Change Management. However, I took one
Psychology course: Individual and Social Psychology, and one Marketing course: Buyer Behaviour. I
found them all really interesting, but my preferences go to Managing Employee Performance and
Leadership and Change Management as the teacher was really interesting to listen to. The academic
level might have been a little lower than in the Netherlands, especially because the teachers almost
literally told what we could expect in the exam. However, as I took courses in another field than my
major, it was still a bit difficult and challenging.
The teaching system is a combination of lectures and seminars. Whereas in lectures you are supposed
to listen to the teacher in a big classroom, the seminars took place in smaller groups where you were
supposed to actively participate in case studies. I’ve barely seen the active approach during my time at
Tilburg University, but I really liked to actively think about the theories we’ve learned in the lectures.
It made it easier to understand, but also easier to recall the information during my revision for the
exams. In addition, because I came into the academic year halfway, I had to introduce myself to each
teacher. Therefore, they were all conscious of my present in the classroom. Comparing this to the
Netherlands where nobody knows me and I’m just one of all the students, it’s really different. The big
disadvantage at Chester University is that you have to wait for ages before you get your grade back.
Just to say that I’ve had my first exam at the end of April, and now, the first of July, I still have no
grade back. I’ve received two grades though, they were from papers I had to write. I was really happy
with the results of those papers, as they, transferred into the Dutch grading system, were high above
my Dutch average.
Exams
Being an international single-term student, you could either have a 2000 word paper or an equivalent
to 2000 words exam. Two of my modules were examined by papers, the other four by exams. In my
case all exams were open questions, whereof one exam really had essay questions whereby you were
supposed to remember both the author and date of theories. In the other three exams you were
supposed to apply your theoretical knowledge you’ve learned while answering the question. Pretty
straightforward and not really difficult as teachers had given a great indication of what to expect in the
exams.
Other
Chester University has a library open for all students of the university. There even is a 24/7 area,
which is, as it suggests, open every day for twenty-four hours. During exam periods, it’s very crowded
in the library whereby finding a free spot is a challenge. However, I’ve heard about plans to extend the
library with a new working space, so I guess they’re working on that. There is no reservation system
as we have at Tilburg University, which can be a disadvantage as it gives you no guarantee for a
computer, however, you don’t have to be afraid to get kicked of your computer by someone who’s
made a reservation which I consider as an advantage. In addition, there is a big area with books and
journals which are easy to borrow.
Description of Courses
Course name
Management Decision Making
Human Resource Management
Managing Employee Performance
Leadership and Change Management
Social and Individual Psychology
Buyer Behaviour
Code
BU5001
BU5003
BU6007
BU6008
PS5018
TM5002
Year
BA, 2
BA, 2
BA, 3
BA, 3
BA, 2
BA, 2
Exam/paper
Exam
Exam
Exam
Exam
Paper
Paper
ECTS
6
6
6
6
6
6
Difficult/easy
Easy
Moderate
A little hard
A little hard
Easy
Easy
Tips for the future students
I would definitely recommend to go on an exchange period. The best way to learn to know another
country’s culture, is to actually live in that country. Where I didn’t expect any culture difference in
England, it’s funny how some little things can make the difference. It’s also a great opportunity to get
in touch with other international students, and to learn from each other. I would recommend to study at
Chester University, however, if you have the chance: go in the fall semester. If you don’t have the
chance to study in the fall semester: still go, it’s worth it. Chester is an amazing and beautiful city, you
won’t regret. It’s important to keep in mind the currency and the differences in exchange rate. In the
end, England was more expensive than I calculated it to be. Ensure you have some savings, so you can
still do everything you want to do, because it’s a shame to look back and regret things you didn’t do
because of the money. Another advice I’d like to give is: try to expect as little as possible. If you have
high expectations about, for instance, your accommodation, you might be disappointed after all. I see
complaining as a waste of precious time, just let it all come over you, and make the most out of every
situation.
A picture is worth a thousand words
The Beauty of Chester
Sunset at Chester’s Roman Walls
My Part of the Shared Room
International Friends
My Basketball Team
Blog
I didn’t really actively keep a blog during my exchange, however, I’ve written some stories during my
exchange period on: www.irisgoesabroad.waarbenjij.nu. It’s all written in Dutch though.
Contact details
If there’s someone interested in going to Chester University, the International Relations Office has my
approval to share my e-mail address with him/her.