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CSULB Exchange: Nottingham-Trent University : Testimonials (Nottingham)
The following program testimonial responses have been selected for publication by Center for International Education
Direct Exchange Evaluation
How did your classes differ from those you have taken at CSULB?
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I took 3 5 unit courses when I went abroad because that is a full workload over there. In terms of schedules, I had 4 days of classes, with tuesdays being my most heavy day. Weds they don't have class past noon because weds are when all the sports events are scheduled for. Each class you take will probably have a big lecture class of around 150 and then a small seminar class of around 12-15. The seminar professors may be different then your lecturer so that sometimes made it difficult because they weren't always on the same page. As for teaching, I had one outstanding professor from Jamaica who taught me econometrics and he really made sure you knew the material and was very helpful throughout the seminar. I had another professor from China who was very strict and did not have the best teaching method so I taught myself for the most part. My last professor was from England and he taught well, only thing was in the lecture we were learning a lot of math based concepts and in his seminar it was all theory so you did not know what to expect for the exams. In terms of exams for economics, I had 2 courses that my grade relied 100% on the final exam which was terrifying. The worst part about it was that there was so much information and no study guide or anything. The best advice I have is just to keep up with the material and read the textbooks because they are very helpful. My last class had 50% coursework and 50% final. I know I probably scared some with talking about the final but let me assure you that if you put in work, you will do fine. I passed my finals with 1 A and 2 B's. Once again I urge you to keep up with the classes, not necessarily because of the difficulty, but there is just a lot of information. It all depends on your major though, my friends that studied abroad with me were sociology and marketing majors and they just had papers and projects to do respectively, with no final. I went in fall and class started at the end of September and finished in in the beginning of December. However, you don't take the finals till the end of January which did conflict with the beginning of Long Beach State's spring semester. Just talk to an adviser and they will help you with that. I ended up taking my finals back here at CSULB. There is also 2 weeks in January before the exam that are just simply there if you need to ask your professors questions, they are not classes for new material. Make sure you get a lot of help from your professors because they do not have tutors here. There are 2 campuses, clifton and City, depending on your major.
— Fall, 2013 Participant |
What was your housing like and how much did it cost you per month? How easy was it to arrange?
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I stayed at a place called Glasshouse and absolutely loved it! It was like a big apartment complex for 2nd year students! So much fun. I payed around 110£ a week which could be a little pricey to some but it was worth it! I had 7 people total in my flat, 3 girls 4 guys. Some were international, some were from England, but they were all fun! I miss them dearly but still keep in touch. We each got our own room with a closet, desk, bed and comforter/pillows. The common room had 2 refrigerators, couches, a coffee table, microwave, stove and a flat screen TV on the wall! There was a grocery store and a mall less then 5 min walking distance and city campus is less then 7 min walking distance. Needless to say this place was the best. The whole Nottingham night life is walking distance from Glasshouse, I maybe used a taxi once. I recommend 110%. Even if you study at Clifton I recommend staying over near City campus because that is where everything is in terms of nights out. My buddy stayed in Mansion Square and that place is awesome as well, just not as college friendly.
— Fall, 2013 Participant |
How much money per week did you spend on food? Transportation? Personal Expenses? Travel?
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I would say that would spend maybe 60£ for a couple weeks of food at a grocery store. I personally just went daily and prepared food that way so I didnt have to worry about anything getting old. Grocery stores have roughly the same products as us, just different names and brands your not aware of. I went out like 3-4 times a week and enjoyed myself to the fullest and I was probably spending 90£ a week. But this was buying more quality food, countless drinks on nights out, and events. some restaurants can be a little pricey, but you just have to know where to go. This place called Spanky's, which is right next to campus has buy one get one free on the best and most authentic burgers in Nottingham for 7£. The bus to use all day is 3.40£ while for one trip is 1.70£. Clifton campus students and athletes will have to use this frequently so look into a bus pass, but if you do, look early and take advantage. I played volleyball over there and practiced one a week with a game roughly once a week so I was only using the bus twice a week, hence me not purchasing a bus pass. Speaking for sports, I cannot urge you enough to join a sports society or any society for that matter. Even if you don't play the sport, you can still join the society and go on nights out with them you wont forget. Every weds sports societies have a pre drink, 6 bar pub crawl, ending in the biggest club in Nottingham. Not to mention every week is themed accordingly to every week is fancy dress (meaning that you were costumes comparable to your theme!). This is were a good amount of my bidget went to but these were the best times of my life by far. Clubs and bars don't close till 4am so its always a night to remember. Don't know how to play a sport but want to still partake? Join volleyball, I guarantee they will welcome you with open arms. You will need a Student Union sports pass which is roughly 70£ a term but the student union is amazing! Last year when I was there was the first year they had it and not only is there good cheap food there but on thursdays it is a 1£ a pint (which is roughly $1.60) and you dont tip bartenders at all, although I did because it felt right. But they don't expect it, only in restaurants. Once you get over to Europe travel gets a lot cheaper. I took a bus from Nottingham to the Netherlands for 7£. Ryan Air is a cheap place to get flights but I recommend train. I traveled by train from Austria to Hungary to Czech Republic and it was cheaper then my flights to Austria then to Berlin. Get your tickets and plan a trip in advance if thats what you want to do because thats when it will be cheapest. I also want to add that when you get there they give you this pamphlet, one for when you can try out for sports, and one that has deals and prices for University travels to places like Stone Henge. Take advantage of those and take advantage of all of the "international" nights, they are a blast.
— Fall, 2013 Participant |
What were your experiences with the language? Did you feel you had enough language preparation?
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I went to England so obviously I did not need to prepare myself for a drastic change, although sometimes its hard to understand the accents depending on if they are from the North or not. When I was traveling it was not to difficult, even though I didn't speak some languages, because a lot of people know English. It might not be fluent but its enough to help. I suggest just familiarizing yourself with important words in the countries you visit like please and thank you.
— Fall, 2013 Participant |