Experience report
Name: Liz Heesters
E-mail: liz_heesters@live.nl
Exchange semester: Spring Semester 2015
Academic year: 2014/2015
Host University: University of Hull
Country: United Kingdom
University of Hull, United Kingdom
Admission, arrival, housing
It feels like yesterday, the day I arrived. My arrival was very well organized. There is a specific arrival
date on which the University of Hull provides transport. I arrived at Manchester Airport. Obviously, my
flight was very short, but it was really nice to see people waiting for you on the other side of the
ocean. Although I had to wait for a couple of hours at the airport to wait for other people to arrive, it
was a good opportunity to meet some other international students. The people that are coming to get
you also bring you to your house and if you arranged a house through the University, they will also
provide your key and stuff.
Most of the students arrange their housing through University Housing, like me. Before my arrival, it
was possible to fill in a form where you can let the University know your preferences. You can choose
to live in a house owned by University, which is a student house. The rooms have different sizes and
you can choose whether you want a room with or without a sink. The houses are near the University,
from my house it was like a three minute walk. You share the house with usually approximately three,
four or five people, who all have their own room, but who you share the kitchen, living room and
bathroom with. I had three American roommates, who were all girls. I really enjoyed staying in an
University house and I recommend staying in one of the University Houses. Also because most of the
international students live there. The people in the UK are generally speaking really nice, so if
something is wrong with your house, you can just e-mail maintenance and they will usually come and
fix it for you. Each house also has their own housekeeper and once a week a cleaner will clean all the
common rooms.
The day after my arrival, an introduction day was planned. On this day, the general information about
the University was provided and a tour around campus was organized. The next week, a ‘Welcome
Week’ was organized. All kinds of activities where organized during this week, a good opportunity to
meet all the other international students. None of the activities were compulsory, so you are free to do
whatever you like.
Location of university/city
Hull is not a city like Milan or Madrid. It is not very big, but for me it almost immediately felt like home.
I think you can compare the city to Tilburg. The city center is not that far away from the University.
You can take a bus that will take you straight to the center and this will take approximately 10 to 15
minutes. The busses are really handy, there are a lot of bus stops and a day ticket costs around 3
pounds. You can also get a one way ticket which costs around 1,60 pound. I really liked the city
center. There is a great new mall right next to the station but there are also a lot of other shops in the
center. In 2017, Hull is chosen to be the City of Culture in the UK and because of this, the city is
already making arrangements and trying to make the city look as beautiful as it can be.
Hull has a port and especially when the weather is nice, it is really nice to go there. I would also
recommend going to the Deep in Hull, a very big aquarium.
There are a lot of restaurants in Hull, but I especially liked the restaurants on Newland Avenue. This is
a street really close to the University, with a lot restaurants and bars. Besides this, there are two bars
and a nightclub on campus. Every Wednesday night and Saturday night you can go out in the club,
which is called Asylum, but there are also a lot of other parties organized on for example Friday.
Every Thursday night you can go to the Karaoke night, which is a lot of fun too because the English
people like to do that.
You can go to the gym right next to the campus. You can fitness there, but you can also take yoga
classes or squash for example. There is a special offer for students when it comes to the price of a
membership. It looks a bit like the system in Tilburg.
Academics
I took three courses in Hull. All the courses were 10 ECTS, so three courses were enough. I took the
courses Public Law and the Constitution, International Protection of Refugees and Consumer Law. I
would really recommend the course Public Law and the Constitution, this is not a third year course,
but because of the complete different law system in the UK, I found it important to have some
background information, a little introduction in English law. I also understood the other courses better
because of that course.
Obviously, the level of English was high. Furthermore the workload was pretty high as well. I would
really recommend buying the books because Hull University does not provide summaries of them. I
had to write a paper and had to take an exam for all of my courses. Most of the exams are like little
essays, you get four or five theses, from which you usually have to choose two. You have to answer
those, but not like you do in Tilburg, you have to answer them like an essay. This means you need to
write three or four pages for each question. But, if you prepare your exams and the topics well, you
will be fine. Overall, I am really happy with my academic achievements during my exchange. It helped
me to broader my ‘law’ perspective, especially because England has a completely different law
system. Moreover, my English is improved due the papers I had to write, which was one of my main
goals.
I found the campus of the University of Hull beautiful. The mixed styles of buildings and the brand new
library are factors that make the campus of the University look really pretty. Besides this, the campus
has that typical English style. One of my favorite places was the library. It has 7 floors and the working
places are nice and big. Moreover, the view on the seventh floor is amazing, by day and by night.
Another favorite place of mine was obviously the nightclub. I would really recommend going to the
parties that are organized especially for the international students, because you will always meet new
people on those nights and it is a lot of fun.
Social life
ISA organizes a lot of social activities for international students. ISA stands for the International
Student Association. They organize parties but also other social activities, like a quiz-night or trips to
for example Cambridge and Manchester or cities abroad like Edinburgh and Paris. One of the things I
found special about the University, was that there were a lot of societies where you could gain a
membership from. The societies are really divers, you can become a member of the Pokemon
society, but you can for example also become a member of the Drama society, the Harry Potter
society or a sport society. The people in Hull do what they like and they are not afraid to show that. If
you like Harry Potter and you want to join the society, nobody will judge you. This is something I found
really special about the University.
I did have contact with local students, but I had more contact with other exchange students. I think
you will connect better with the other exchange students, because they probably have the same goal
as you do, you want your exchange to be unforgettable and you want to have a lot of fun. Besides, if
you rent a room through the University, you will probably live with other exchange students. During
my exchange period, there were a lot of French, American and Australian people. But there were also
some Germans and Asians. They literally came from all over the world. The fact that I and a friend of
mine where the only Dutch people made my exchange period very special. We were called the
‘Dutchies’ and because we were the only ones, we had to talk English a lot, which obviously really
improved our English. Moreover, it was really nice to make some typical Dutch food for the other
international students. They enjoyed our pancakes a lot and we also made the typical Dutch stew.
I travelled to other places during my exchange with some other international students. We went to
different English cities and stayed one night in London. I would really recommend going to York,
which is not that far away from Hull. I also went to Scotland with my father at the end of my exchange
period. If you want to travel to other places in the United Kingdom, I would recommend going by Mega
Bus or the National Express. These are bus companies that provide much cheaper ways to get from
one city to another than going by train.
Living costs
I financed by exchange period by the Erasmus scholarship and I also lent some money from DUO.
England is not a cheap country. The Pound compared to the Euro is more expensive, so this was a
disadvantage. Nevertheless, there are many ways in which you can save some money. One of the
things me and my friend did, was going to the Lidl to do groceries instead of going to Tesco. And as I
mentioned before, instead of going by train to other cities, you can go by Mega Bus or National
Express. I spend most of my money on rent and trips. I could not do all the trips I did, if I had not lent
money from DUO. I would advise future students not to save too much money while being abroad.
This does not mean you have to spend every coin you have, but I would recommend to lend some
money if this otherwise means you cannot go for the trips you like for example.
I think I spent approximately € 2200 on housing. This looks very expensive, but I do not regret it. I had
a really nice and big room and I lived with other international students near University. Besides, I had
my own sink. My textbooks costed a lot of money, I bought 5 books and I think I spent 200 pounds on
them. Nevertheless, you can return your books at the end of the semester in the book store at the
University and you can get 30% of your money back. As I mentioned before, I went to the Lidl almost
every day. I think I spent € 30 euros a week on groceries.
Culture
I did not experience a culture shock while I was on exchange. The people in the UK are generally
speaking really kind. They will always help you and are really friendly. You can also be sure of a warm
welcome at the University of Hull. The University has been named Britain’s friendliest university in an
independent survey. The teachers and professors are also really helpful and patient and will help you
with every problem you may have. What I also liked about my host culture was that the UK is a
‘queuing nation’. This means that the people in the UK will stand in line for everything. While waiting
for the bus for example, the people will stand in line. Even when it is really busy and the queue
becomes really big, they will still wait patient in a line. One of the things I also learned is that English
people do like greasy food. In most restaurants you can get great hamburgers with most of the time
fried onion rings.
Hull is not a ‘world city’. It is not that big, but because it is not that touristic, you can really get a taste
of the English atmosphere. English people like football and like spending time in a pub. I went to a
football match in Leeds, which was really awesome and I would recommend future students to do that
as well. The beers in the United Kingdom have the size of a pint and a drink they also drink a lot is
cider, which tastes really nice. The people are easygoing and are interested in where you are from.
Overall, the people in the UK are just really nice and helpful. I felt immediately at ease, also because
of the really kind people at the University and the International Office of the University.
Personal development
I learned from the people I met during my exchange that I do not need to worry about ‘small’ things so
much. The people I met were so kind and cheerful and they really made my period abroad an
exchange to remember. I also became much more independent and I can take care of my own now. I
cannot say what was my best experience, I think going on exchange was my best experience. I really
enjoyed it and the time passed so quickly.
Tips for future students
I would really recommend going on an exchange period. And of course, I would recommend future
students to go to the University of Hull. Hull is just beautiful. I felt immediately at ease because of all
the helpful and kind people. My exchange period has been unforgettable, because of all the beautiful
people I met and all the amazing trips I made with new friends. I would recommend enjoy every
minute of your exchange period, because it will be over before you know it!