Preparing for the Adventure of a Semester Abroad

Experience Report

Preparing for my semester abroad was a really exciting time for me, even though in hindsight I have to admit that I was quite stressed at times. Especially at the beginning, I often felt like I had to think about everything at once and make sure I did not forget anything. Looking back, that was often not even necessary, because many things ended up sorting themselves out naturally.

Overall, everything worked out quite well for me. I was able to prepare all the documents without any major problems, and organising my trip went much more smoothly than I had expected. When I was finally sitting on the plane, I really realised that everything was actually starting, and from that moment on, all the stress immediately faded away.

What really helped me a lot was the support from the World of Students team and my contact person at the University of Brighton. I had a lot of questions and sometimes even felt like I was being annoying, but I always received patient and helpful answers. This gave me a lot of reassurance and took a lot of pressure off me.

However, one thing did not go quite as planned. I had originally intended to earn some extra money during my semester abroad and applied for a visa for this purpose. Since Brexit, however, things have become much more complicated, and unfortunately, it did not work out for me. At first, this was quite frustrating, but in hindsight, it is simply part of the experience, and you learn to deal with such situations.

Nevertheless, overall I am really satisfied with my preparation. The start of the semester went well, and I have already been able to gain many new impressions. I am excited about what is still to come and look forward to sharing my experiences. My advice for future students is not to stress too much and to ask questions one more time rather than too few.