Anyone who decides to study at York St. John University will have a lifelong positive memory of the time spent there. And I am a student who wants to share this memory with you. In the following I will briefly describe the most important things that are important for the stay in York and for the university.
Application process
For university selection abroad, I turned to MicroEDU. The requested information was provided by phone and / or email. All MicroEDU staff were always very nice, helpful and always responded to my emails very quickly. I didn’t have to get in touch with the university abroad that did MicroEDU. You should only observe the application deadlines and fill out all forms in full.
Getting there
According to liuxers, York St. John University is organizing a free bus that will take incoming students from Manchester Airport directly to the university. However, it only takes place on two days, at the beginning of the semester. For this you have to register on the university homepage. You can also easily travel from Manchester to York by train or bus. Otherwise the airport in Leeds is also very suitable, as the city is very close to York.
Accommodation
You can choose between two student residences: The Grange and Limes Court. The Grange is about 7 minutes’ walk from the university, Limes Court about 25 minutes. I lived in The Grange with four British people. You have to take into account that in the dormitories made available by the university there are usually freshmen, ie very young students. We shared the kitchen, bathroom and toilet and everyone had their own room. But there were never any problems with the showers and toilets. The kitchen had no electrical appliances other than a stove, refrigerator, and microwave. We did the rest ourselves and shared the costs. All the cooking and eating utensils also had to be bought. There was WiFi in the dormitory. The shopping possibilities are given. The larger supermarkets are about a 15-minute walk away and small shops are about 5 minutes’ walk from The Grange.
Education
In Germany I am studying for a master’s degree in business administration and at York St. John I had the opportunity to choose four courses from all subjects of the business school at master’s level. The university only took place two days a week. The rest of the time is reserved for self-study. The English education system differs significantly from the German one. We had to read a lot of journal articles in preparation for seminars and in almost all subjects emphasis was placed on reflective learning.
The combination of the old and new buildings with the green areas makes the campus of the university very charming. York St. John University has a huge library of books for all fields of study. During the week the library is open until 1:00 a.m. The university also offers a good opportunity for night learners, as the ground floor of the library building, which is equipped with computers, printers, rooms for group work, screens, etc., is open around the clock. The number of databases to which the university has access is also very impressive. You can also borrow laptops and iPads from the library.
The professors are helpful and very nice. You can always turn to them with questions and the students will be happy to help. The tutoring is much more intensive than in Germany. Also as far as the intelligibility of the language is concerned – due to the high number of international students, many lecturers try to speak clearly and, if necessary, to repeat content so that there are no comprehensibility problems.
In the 10 weeks of lectures I took four courses: Global Markets and Consumers, Leadership and Management Skills, Leadership and Management Coaching and Sustainable Business. I can recommend all courses, but the workload during the semester is different for all subjects. The exams looked different: Report, Portfolio, Essay and Reflective Journal with 3,000 words each. If you don’t have any written exams, you can fly home before Christmas without coming back. But written exams can also be taken from the university in Germany if you agree with the lecturers in York. The type of exams can be found on the university’s homepage.
There was also a lot of group work on the schedule. Sometimes it was a little difficult to communicate as the language level of the students is different. In general, I was able to determine that the Chinese students, who make up around 90 percent of the course, do not speak English as well.
The support from the International Students Office and Students Advice Desk was very helpful, especially in the first week of orientation. I didn’t need their help for a long time, but it was always available.
Leisure
I was also very impressed by the wide range of different societies, from art to rugby. I would recommend you to join at least one society. Not only does it keep you fit, it also helps you make new friends. In the introductory week there is a kind of fair where all the university’s clubs introduce themselves. I was a member of the volleyball society. We met weekly for training and often went out together.
York has a lot to offer. There are many possibilities for cultural excursions – museum, dungeon, theater, minster, city wall, etc. York also offers typical English pubs, tea rooms, bars and restaurants. There are also many clubs to choose from that are also open during the week. The Students Union of York St. John University also organizes parties and is ideal for pre-drinking thanks to the student-friendly prices. In general, it should be noted that prices in the UK are slightly higher than in Germany.
As there is so much to see in the UK, traveling is also recommended. The Students Union offers trips to eg Scarborough, Manchester, Liverpool, New Castle etc. However, I planned the trips myself with friends, as it offers more flexibility. My personal favorites were Whitby and Edinburgh. I got a Railway Card, the cost of which I got back after a trip to London. It can save a lot of money for people who love to travel. The Railway Card costs GBP 30 and saves a third of the ticket cost on every train journey. To save some money, tickets should be booked in advance.
Conclusion
Finally, I would like to say that MicroEDU has helped me a lot and has simplified the entire decision-making and application process. I have never regretted choosing York St. John University and I had a lot of fun there. The on-site support from the International Office and the Students Advice Service was also very good. The lecturers were friendly and open and also offered one-on-one discussions. The courses were interesting and varied. York as a city is very beautiful and has a lot to offer. For everyone who goes there: have fun and enjoy the time!
