Details

• Great Britain & N.Ireland
• MAMgmt-14
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 3 months

1. Preparation

Apart from proof of language proficiency, I didn't need much else. However, I would make sure to take care of the language certificate in good time.

2. Accommodation

I lived in a student residence right on campus. One residence block has an entire floor (approx. 30 places) reserved for exchange students. However, these places are snapped up quite quickly, so it makes sense to apply early. I also know people who got places in other buildings right on campus. From what I heard, there were still plenty of places available. I would definitely recommend living on campus, especially for the social life. However, it must be said that the apartments are really expensive and not really worth the price. You also have no choice when it comes to the length of stay and category of the room. As a master's student, for example, I finished in mid-December and left at Christmas. Nevertheless, I had to continue paying for my room until mid-January.

3. Academic life at host university

The infrastructure on campus was quite good. There was a supermarket, a gym, a soccer field, and various bars. However, it must be said that it definitely doesn't compare to WU. It's not really that attractive. The library is far too noisy and crowded. The teaching definitely takes some getting used to. There are a lot of lectures and input that you don't really need in the end, because there are no exams, only group work and essays. Some courses were super exciting, while others were extremely unattractive. It depended very much on the teachers. Unfortunately, the work ethic in group projects is very poor. Surprisingly, the only motivated students were the other exchange students. Without exception, the regular students were unreliable in group work and did not contribute much. They didn't care about grades. That was really annoying and led to various conflicts. The time commitment for university is not high, but good grades are difficult to achieve.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transportation is relatively poor. There are only buses and a few trams. However, most important places are within walking distance of the campus, including pubs and bars in the city. When traveling to other cities, for example, we usually took the bus, as trains are quite expensive in England. There are many societies, for example for rugby, running, and soccer. To make local connections, it is definitely recommended to join one of these societies. The security situation is somewhat modest. There have been repeated incidents in the city, particularly stabbings. The gym on campus and the societies are definitely recommended for sporting activities.

6. Testimonial

All in all, my semester abroad was a really great time. But that was definitely not because of the university, and certainly not because of Birmingham. I heard from other exchange students who were very dissatisfied. But I thought it was great because I met some really wonderful people and we traveled a lot throughout the UK.