The main goal of my semester abroad was to improve my English skills. It was therefore clear from the start that it should become a country in which English is the mother tongue. For a long time I couldn’t decide between Ireland and England and kept getting in touch with the MicroEDU Team – thank you again for the great support at this point. After exchanging ideas with a former student from York St John University, I quickly decided on this university. One of the main deciding factors was, above all, that York St John is a real, traditional campus university – just as one imagines it.
The application was quick and easy, even though I was quite late by mid-October. The choice of course went largely without any problems, but at the time I was not aware that a course (2BM240), for example, initially indicates that it is a course from the 2nd year of study – I myself was in the 6th semester. You should keep this in mind in order to get the most out of the semester.
The university has conveniently provided a shuttle bus that drove 3 times from Manchester Airport to the university upon our arrival (January 20th, 2014). On arrival at the university, we were given all the necessary information and the key for the accommodation. Afterwards we were brought to the respective accommodation by English students. I myself lived in Limes Court, as I had already read many reviews and “The Grange” was rated rather negatively. I have definitely not regretted my decision – the residential complex is very familiar and everyone knows each other. However, I was often in the grange and really enjoyed the advantages (WiFi and sometimes very modern kitchens). I think it depends where exactly you end up in the Grange. But what I’ve seen until then wasn’t as bad as I imagined. Above all, the location of the Grange speaks for itself – where we walked about 20 minutes, the Grange people needed just under 8 minutes.
The University
Since I study at a university myself, I was immediately enthusiastic about the venerable buildings on campus. The university is well equipped and you always had the opportunity to use a computer in different buildings. The modules that I took were partly with English students, partly with exclusively international students. It was interesting to get to know both. In addition, you had to complete a wide variety of exams, such as case studies, individual reports, exams or group presentations. This enables the students to try different things and has also given us the opportunity to compensate for weaknesses.
In addition, there are plenty of activities that you can participate in, which are organized by the “Student Union” on site. There are all kinds of sports teams or other societies such as science fiction or the like.
The real purpose of the semester abroad
According to act-test-centers, York already has a lot to offer, which you have to take advantage of in addition to 6 hours of university a week. In addition to a wonderful old town, there is also nightlife. Kuda on Mondays, Salvation on Tuesdays, etc. Although it usually goes to the same clubs and cannot be compared to a huge metropolis, after a while you get to know a lot of people there. Above all, I had the feeling that you get a lot of discounts as a student – so just ask. In a bar (Revolution), for example, you can buy a discount card for £ 2, with which you can get 2 for 1 cocktails outside of the weekend – not a bad deal!
Conclusion
I would recommend a semester abroad at the YSJ to everyone. If you should stay in the Limes, definitely buy a bike (on Facebook you can often find cheap deals between 20 and 40 pounds). In addition, I can only recommend you to join a society or a sports club. I started out with basketball as a total newbie and got a great reception. Above all, I got to know quite a lot of British students because we were only 2 “non-native speakers” in the team. It was a lot of fun and I wish I could turn back time.
