Preparation
I had always wanted to go abroad, so I found out about a possible study abroad programme in my first semester and attended a lot of information events organised by World of Students, which I then used to apply to the University of Brighton. 
For my application to the University of Brighton, I had to submit my CV, a letter of motivation and my transcript of records. The latter was provided by the examinations office of my university. 
 
Field Trips 
The Study Abroad Office also offered field trips. Three were included in the Study Abroad Programme. These were day trips to London, Rye & East Sussex. Two further weekend trips cost around €250 each. We travelled to Bath, Bristol & Stonehenge for the first weekend trip and for the second we went to Windsor, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon.
 
Accommodation
Like almost everyone on the University of Brighton's Study Abroad programme, I had been allocated a place in one of the student residences. My room included my bedroom with a desk and wardrobe, and my own bathroom. The kitchen was shared with five other exchange students from the Study Abroad programme, who also lived in the same flat for three months. The University of Brighton's Study Abroad Office advertises this as a way of maintaining contact with other students from abroad outside of the university. 
However, we were all accommodated on the Falmer Campus, which is on the outskirts of Brighton and quite far outside the city itself. We all had lectures at the Moulsecoomb campus, so we either had to take the bus or the train. 
The student residence in Falmer was also no longer the newest. My room had everything I needed for the time (bed, desk & chair, bathroom and storage space) but you could tell how old the hall of residence was. The mattress was very soft and my window, which looked out onto the courtyard, didn't keep the noise out at all. There are times when you are supposed to be quiet so as not to bother other students, but these were not always respected. 
The halls of residence always organise various events during the semester that you can attend, such as the welcome party at the beginning of the semester, a Halloween movie night and a Christmas party with mulled wine. 
 
Studying at the host university 
Lectures in England do not start until 9 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. at the latest. A module is divided into a seminar and a lecture. The seminar and the lecture always last 2 hours. I had seminars/lectures four days a week and one day off. But the timetable was quite flexible. On Wednesdays, for example, I had a lecture from 9am to 11am and then a day off. In total, my semester only lasted 11 weeks.
The university itself offers quite a few different societies. Before the start of term there is Brighton's Freshers Fair, which is mainly for first-year students and because the University of Brighton is so big, there are quite a lot of them. All the societies introduce themselves there, and there is also an overview on the website. During the semester, these societies offer various events, which you can usually attend without pre-registration. 
 
Unfortunately, the university didn't offer a buddy programme or a ‘Welcome Week’ for international students or information events, but that could also be because I was there with the Study Abroad Office and not the university's International Office. For example, in the first week I didn't realise that I had to hold my student ID up to the small screen in front of the room where I had my lecture/seminar so that my attendance could be registered. 
 
Everyday life and leisure 
Brighton is only about an hour away from London by train. This is definitely a bonus if you don't want to live in the big city but still not want to miss London. I can recommend the ‘Trainline’ app to book trains or a travelcard for the day.
Brighton otherwise has quite a few small shops and restaurants, especially in the ‘Lanes’ and the ‘North Lanes’.
Although Brighton has its beautiful corners and of course the sea, it is also very run-down in some areas and quite hilly.
On the buses there is the ‘tap on/tap off’ principle, where you hold your credit card to the device provided when you get on and then pay again when you get off and therefore only for the distance travelled (usually £2). If you are travelling more often during the day, the 24-hour ticket is also suitable.
From Falmer Campus, where my student residence was, it also took quite a long time to get to the city centre you had to take either the bus or the train and that took quite a bit of time.
 
My recommendations for Brighton
Goemon Ramen Bar 
The Flour Pot Bakery (Sydney Street) 
Fatto a Mano (North Lane) 
Bagelman
Nowhere Man