Since I’ve lived in a big city for pretty much my entire life, I wanted to experience the advantages of a small city like York – and I still don’t regret it to this day. The city offers so much more than you would expect. Especially in autumn the city is immersed in a warm golden-orange sea of leaves…
Application
The application to MicroEDU went smoothly and the support was top-notch. Every question was answered as quickly as possible and a solution was found in the event of any problems. I was always provided with the latest information and the current status of the application. For me personally, the support was a great help in overcoming the hurdles of applying to a foreign university.
University and courses
According to anycountyprivateschools, the York St. John University is a small, yet well- University. It is modernly furnished, has a canteen and a library, and compared to German universities, it also offers a Students’ Union. There is a Starbucks on the first floor of the building, which is open during the day and acts as a place to relax or chat. In the evening the bar on the ground floor opens and you can get your after-work beer or preheat and go to the next house party. On certain days there are also events such as karaoke or the Global Café, which invites all students to get to know other people and cultures and have fun together.
I attended 3 courses in the business school. Most of the courses that I initially chose were unfortunately not available. In any case, you should make sure to choose subjects from Term 1. In the end I decided on the courses “Leadership and Management”, “Consumer Behavior” and “Strategic Brand Management”.
I would also recommend these 3 subjects because, on the one hand, they take place in relatively small classes, which means that the professors’ supervision is more personal and, on the other hand, the content is presented in a practical manner. In “Strategic Brand Management”, for example, we had to use a case study to apply the content that we had learned by the end of the semester.
Living
Every student who applies to the YSJ is offered accommodation in the dormitory. Consequently, there is no hurdle to looking for accommodation. You just have to decide if you want to spend that much money on it. My accommodation in Limes Court cost around £ 1700 for 4 months.
From what I heard, most European students who stay for a semester are placed in either Limes Court or The Grange. Of course there are other accommodations, but they are priced higher.
Limes Court and The Grange differ in that Limes Court is a little further from the university (20 minutes on foot), but newer. You can think of it as a kind of small settlement with around 50 houses. 4-5 students live together in one house. Everyone has their own room with a bed, desk, 2 chairs and a closet. 2 bathrooms and a kitchen are also shared (no utensils are provided). In addition, at the entrance to the settlement there is a small house in which you can do your laundry for little money.
The Grange is closer to the university (15 minutes on foot) and is kind of the place where most house parties take place. Here, too, you live in a kind of small settlement. The houses are only equipped with one bathroom and still 4-5 students live together with their own rooms.
Leisure
Studying the practical at the YSJ is easy, it only takes 5 minutes to get to the city center from the university. The city has countless pubs and tea rooms, but there is also good shopping there. At Christmas time there was also a Christmas market and events such as the “Christmas Lightning” took place.
In the first week of the university there was an “Orientation Week” with many events such as the Global Café or the presentation of the societies. There is a large selection of societies that can fill a student’s leisure schedule.
From York you can also drive wonderfully to other cities such as Leeds, Scarborough and Whitby, as the connections (bus or train) are very good and the price is still reasonable. Another option is to take part in the day trips organized by the university. For this purpose it was, for example, taken by bus to Manchester or Liverpool.
Conclusion
The semester abroad in York was one of the best experiences I’ve had so far. Everything I expected was topped. The YSJ, the people in this university and the city have really grown dear to my heart. Because it is not that big, you really have the feeling that you know everyone who goes to this university. In general, however, the people in York are very helpful and very friendly, which definitely made it easier for me to settle in.
