Jamie Huebner Jamie studied in Scotland and discovered a love for all things Scotland! She shares her experiences in Scotland, including how she financed her program, housing, classes at Stirling, getting involved abroad, traveling in Europe, cultural differences, and advice for future students. Term Abroad: Spring 2009 Home University: Missouri State University Host University: University of Stirling Major: Exercise Science Click to jump to the topics that interest you the most: Advice for Future Students If you could speak with a student interested in going to your university abroad, what advice would you give? I would tell them to make the most of it! Leave your comfort zone, take chances, and meet as many people as you can. Your experience is what you make of it, don’t wait for opportunity to come to you, go to it. I always tell people not to dwell on what is different, embrace it. Find things that you love about your host country. Try to immerse yourself as much as you can in the culture, don’t just visit the tourist spots, get to know the country as a whole. When it’s time to go home, you’ll feel as those you’ve made a second home. Looking back now, what did you take from your time abroad as a student? I grew so much from this experience; I learned a lot about myself. I was completely independent, which helped me mature. I learned that I am capable of anything I put my mind to. I am now considering graduate school abroad, and even living abroad permanently. I don’t know that I would have even thought that were possible before. Return to Top Money/Cost of Living What did you spend more/less money on than you expected? I spent more money than I expected. One of the reasons was the exchange rate; it became increasingly worse while I was there. Like any new place, it takes some time to learn the best places to find deals, so at first I overspent on some things. Once I learned where to shop for certain items, I cut down my spending. I went out and did a lot more activities than I normally would at my home university, which cost me more money, but I didn’t factor that in before I left; however, I am not complaining by any means. I think most people spend more than they expect, but as long as you don’t run completely out of money it is all worth it. My trip was worth every cent and more. How did you finance your semester abroad program? My program was more expensive than a semester at my home university, so it was important for me to be able to pay for it and still have spending money. Most of the expenses were paid using my scholarship that I have through my home university. I used a loan to pay for the rest of it. I have been working since I was 15, so I had money saved up as well to use for spending. My dad flies frequently with his work and he was kind enough to let me use his frequent flyer miles to pay for my flight. In the end, I did have to ask my parents for a little extra spending money, but not much. What advice do you have for other students who are trying to plan how they’ll finance their program? My advice is to be realistic. I originally looked at a program that was the same price as two years at my home university, and it didn’t hit me until I met with a financial aid advisor. It’s definitely important to have an idea of what you can spend before you start looking at programs. If you are worried about overspending, I would look up information about what things cost in the country you are going to and keep an eye on the exchange rate. Sometimes you have to get creative, and it is important to have patience and try to find the best deal to stretch your money the furthest. Just remember that this experience is priceless. Housing How did your housing situation help you meet the locals? I lived in university accommodations on campus with three other students. All of my flatmates were attending the university for four years, but none of us knew each other. I became very close with one of my flatmates, Aaron, who was from Northern Ireland. He was a senior and introduced me to all of his friends. I also went to a party in my building the first week I was there and ended up meeting my boyfriend, who is Scottish, and almost all of my friends I hung out with the rest of the semester. Did you prepare your own meals? If so, what resources were available to you for this (i.e. nearby grocery stores, kitchen equipped with necessary supplies)? I did prepare my own meals, which was an interesting experience, because I had no idea how to cook before studying abroad. I actually cooked chicken for the first time while I was there. Tesco, the grocery store, wasn’t close enough to walk to, but was only a short bus ride away. There was also a shop located in the atrium were we could get the basics like eggs, milk, bread, etc…We did have to provide our own cooking utensils, but luckily one of my flatmates had brought all of it, so I didn’t have to buy anything. Were there any benefits to making your own food rather than going out? I think making my own food definitely saved me money, and I could eat healthier. It also made me feel more independent and self-sufficient. What did you like about your housing situation? My room was small, but I loved the flat. It was easy to get to know my other flatmates since we shared kitchen. Return to Top Classes/Academics While you were abroad, what was your favorite class? Why? My favorite class was my history class because it was interesting to learn history from a different perspective. I also enjoyed the material we covered, because I had never learned that much about Britain’s history. I enjoyed the small tutorial and getting to discuss with group. What major educational differences did you notice between your host university and your home university (i.e. differences in teaching styles, homework load, etc.)? I noticed some major differences between my host university versus my home university. For my major I never write papers, everything I do is test based. I had actually not written a paper since high school. It was very different for me to have my entire grade based on two papers, instead of multiple tests and homework. I noticed I had less work, but they expected you to do more work on your own. You had to work hard to prepare for your final essay because you had to be ready for multiple questions, and you weren’t sure what they were going to ask. It also left less room for error because your grades were based on so few points. There they only took 3 classes a semester and spent less time in the classroom, so I felt like I had a lot more free time, which was really nice. Getting Involved Abroad How did you get involved on campus? I was involved in the International Society. When we first arrived, all of the visiting international students were taken on a tour. At the end, the International Society gave a presentation and invited us to join. We were able to sign up there and paid 10 pounds to become a member. They also gave us calendars with all of the events for the semester. It helped me meet many other international students. It was my mission to learn more about other cultures and make non-American friends, which this gave me the opportunity to do. These friends also invited me to the party where I met my boyfriend and all my other friends. It was always a blast. Travel Experiences What kind of travel experience did you have prior to studying abroad? Before this experience, I had traveled in the US, but never alone. This was my first time out of the country, so I didn’t have any expectations. I also chose to go alone, because I wanted to be independent and get to meet all new people. I was a little tentative my first night, but after that I never had any doubts. The culture is different, but not enough to cause culture shock. Describe your favorite trip. My favorite trip was over my spring holiday. I went on a road trip with two of my German friends and one of their friends that came to visit. We traveled from Stirling through the Highlands and stopped in Oban. The Highlands were beautiful; it was so green and majestic. We took a six-hour ferry ride to the Outer Hebrides, which was a completely different experience than what I had ever done before. All of the roads were one track, and didn’t look wide enough to even fit one car. There weren’t many people, but the landscape was breathtaking. The terrain was seaside and mountainous. It was so green. It felt like I was in a movie. We stayed in hostels, which was much less terrifying than I was led to believe. All of my hostel experiences were really positive. During the day, we would just drive and get out when we saw something we wanted to explore. We investigated old churches and cemeteries. We would stand out in the sea and go tour castles. We then traveled to Skye to meet an old friend of theirs. On the way, we saw the most incredible rainbow I have ever seen in my life. We spent the day out on their friend’s farm and had tea and rode four wheelers. Even with all of these amazing experiences during this trip, the most memorable is when we were chased by a herd of cows. One of my friends tried to feed one of the cows, and they then thought he had food and started to chase him. The rest of us were sitting in the car screaming when he jumped in and got the car in gear. We managed to escape just as they were circling the car; they chased us down the street for about a half mile. It was scary and thrilling at the same time. Cultural Differences/Experiences What was the most delicious or most interesting thing that you ate in your host country? The most interesting thing I tried had to be Haggis. I kept holding off trying it, because I had heard all of these horror stories. I actually loved Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. It is Haggis, mashed turnips, mashed potatoes, and gravy. I thought it was delicious! Give examples of any slang words, expressions, or different pronunciations/accents that you encountered while abroad. One pronunciation I never got used to was how they said aluminum. They add another “i” so it is pronounced aluminium. I also had the most difficult time with my Northern Irish friend’s accent. The first time we met he said “So you’re the new flatmate then?” and my response was “It’s Saturday.” He just smiled and walked away and didn’t tell me about it until about a month later. It was horrifying, but also hilarious. Eventually we would just joke about how I couldn’t understand him and make fun of each other. If you could teach future study abroad students one or two phrases that were essential to sounding more like a local in your host country, what would they be? I would tell students to say cheers instead of thank you and say toilet instead of restroom. It doesn’t come naturally at first, but you get used to it. My other piece of advice would be to stick with your own slang and accent. If you try to use the words they do, most of the time you just sound silly. Just be true to yourself and your own dialect. |