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International student painting traditional Chinese New Year artwork at a University of Hong Kong (HKU) cultural event — introducing my blog about student life, creativity, and cultural experiences abroad
Me Celebrating Chinese New Year at Hong Kong University

Introduction 

A year abroad is one of the most amazing opportunities for students around the globe and one of my personal favourite conversation starters. I can go on for hours about how much I loved my experience away, but 20 going on 2000 is more than that. This website also aims to create informative content that many students have not been able to reach, so here’s my fair observation and perspective on the true nature of this “life-changing” decision. 

There are many different perspectives on the nature of the year abroad, each reflecting the eye of the beholder. Some see it as an exhilarating, exciting and invigorating experience; however, some see it as a daunting, isolating and intimidating one.

I’m here to say that each of these emotions is valid, and I, too, have experienced a mixture of each of these throughout my time away from home. However, those of excitement should outweigh those of uncertainty, as otherwise, they can have a detrimental effect on the outcome of this decision. Therefore, I cannot fully recommend this experience to every student, as I understand the varying characteristics, upbringing, interests and personalities of each individual. However, this blog post plans to outline these and help the decision-making process go that much easier.

1. Travel experience 

Firstly, I would suggest reflecting on your travel experience. Whether you are an experienced traveller or have never left the country, there are benefits to choosing a year abroad. I will delve into these two categories that I think students tend to fall under.

1.1 You’re an Experienced traveller

If you’ve travelled a lot, whether with family, friends or solo, the year abroad most definitely should be something you are considering. Not only are you exposed to a different country, but potentially neighbouring ones as well. Doing a year abroad in continents like Europe and Asia gives you the perfect geographical location to country hop. What’s also great about the year abroad is that most students want to travel, so finding groups to travel with is easy and most likely to be within your friendship group. Travelling can be daunting, so having experience with airports, planning holidays, packing, etc, is useful but not a necessity.

1.2 You have little to no travel experience

When I applied to do a year abroad, I hadn’t left the UK in 16 years. It feels crazy saying that now, with all the experience I have, but I was far from a seasoned traveller. And yet, the idea of travelling the world in my 20s sounded like something I couldn’t miss out on, and later made me start this blog. Before coming to university, I always knew I wanted to study abroad and finally get to experience life outside of the UK. My sister was the one who pushed me into this decision, and I will always be internally grateful for her guidance. I hope to now play that role for those who are still unsure.

Feeling uncertain is very understandable, especially if you are someone with little travel experience, but how about you let that be what excites you?
So, you’ve never been to Thailand, but you’ve now chosen to attend a university in Southeast Asia or East Asia, allowing you to experience it with your peers or even alone. Solo travel initially can be daunting, but I’ve later found it to be very enriching and something I’ve found much solace in.

And just like starting university, everyone is in the same boat, trying to make friends and enjoy that chapter of their life, so why rob yourself of completing one across the world? 

2. Freedom

This is something that most students look forward to when starting university: your own accommodation, a new city, new people, no curfews/parental restrictions, etc. As someone who came from a strict family, I loved every second of it. But nothing prepared me for the freedom of the year abroad. Basically, imagine all these things but in different countries at a time. 

Basically, imagine all these things but in different countries at a time. I do understand you can travel while at your home institution, but travel is incorporated in the exchange experience and widely encouraged, as it mostly does not count towards your final grade. 

As someone who just completed a rough second year (weighing 50% of my degree), I needed the freedom from that academic burden. This isn’t for every course, but most weigh between 0%-20% and only require you to pass. This is the procedure for UK students; however, I believe the leniency is similar for other regions (don’t fact-check me). 

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3. fees and funding 

This part is relevant for the UK institutions; however, definitely read into the fees and funding of your exchange on your university website.  

I think a lot of UK students aren’t fully aware of the financial support they could receive during their year abroad. 

1. Firstly, your university fees for that year are reduced a great deal, so instead of my tuition being £9,250 (I think they’ve raised it now, sigh), it was £1,385. So, you won’t be in as much debt as you think for choosing to do another year. 

2. My student maintenance was around 35% more than my usual, but you do have to pay that back with the rest of your student loan. However, student finance did have a travel grant for some students which reimbursed them for 3 round-trip flights, visas, cabs to the airport and daily travel to a from university. Mine came up to around £2,000

  • Tip – make sure you keep all of your travel invoices if you pay as you go, but I’ll have a follow-up article with all that information. 

3. Turing Scheme: this must be done from your university, but I believe I received a £2.7k grant 

4. Other University Funding: Some students may not be eligible for these grants, but can receive funding directly from their university. Warwick gave their students £600

5. If you were already receiving any financial support during your undergrad, that would continue. 

So, you could be receiving a lot more financial support on your exchange, hopefully to cover the trips you could be taking. 

The year abroad is also a great option for those from working-class families, as the support is available. Therefore, I implore those from working-class backgrounds to consider an exchange year, as travelling can be seen as a luxury that many are robbed of. It honestly changed my life for the better, and I want others from similar backgrounds to experience it too.

restaurant table displaying three freshly steamed dim sum dishes, highlighting authentic Hong Kong food experiences featured in a study-abroad blog post about life and culture at HKU
Me, trying Dim Sum. A Hong Kong staple dish

4.  Everything is new!!

If trying new things and immersing yourself in a new setting excites you, then you should definitely consider a year abroad. During my year abroad, I created a new identity and gave people my nickname rather than my first name. It’s possible because 9 times out of 10, it will probably be the first time you’re interacting with someone.

Or you can be honest; either way, it’s a great opportunity to present yourself in the way you want and make new friends. As mentioned, everyone is on the same boat, eager to make friends and lasting memories at university and perhaps on a trip. Travelling with the friends I made abroad was truly an amazing experience. Learning about different cultures, trying new activities and food were so exciting, things that both extraverts and introverts can appreciate. 

It’s all about your mindset; what you put in is what you’ll get out. If you put yourself out there, have an open mind and a spontaneous spirit, you’ll get so much out of the experience. 

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Journalling by the beach

5. solo time

The final thing I’d like to touch on is the amount of time you will spend by yourself during the year abroad. Like studying at your home institution, studying abroad can be very isolating as you are even further away from your family and friends. I studied in Hong Kong at HKU, where I was a 12 ½ hour flight away from my family and friends. And at times, I did feel very alone, especially when unfortunate incidents did occur. 

The people you meet abroad won’t replace those you have at home; however, they can join your network and be a great addition to your close circle. Try not to neglect your people back home because they will be your support system throughout the year.

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