Alexander Nicholas - Exchange Alumni Testimonial

What motivated you to participate in an overseas experience?

I wanted to learn more about myself. I felt like I wasn't challenging myself personally and needed to step out of my comfort zone. I also wanted more from my university experience and was looking for a change of pace.

What was the highlight of your Exchange?

I was extremely fortunate to choose a university with a student union that was ranked 2nd in the UK, offering hundreds of clubs, societies & sports that held weekly activities and events. Additionally, the Student Union hosted club nights and the proximity of everyone living in student accommodation created numerous opportunities to meet new people. So I was able to make all these wonderful and generous friends not only through my classes. 
 

I also had planned to bring my trombone over, anticipating that I would have so much free time as I rarely had assignments or tests and often only needed to focus on studying for the final exams, so I took the opportunity to play in 5 music ensembles, having rehearsals every day from Monday to Friday in addition to doing several other activities. Through these co-curricular activities, I was able to make friends who invited me over to their farm for Christmas, stay over in their flat in Oslo, Norway. They showed me around the city for the weekend, and even took a last-minute spontaneous trip to Alicante, Spain for 12 hours as we both happened to have no classes that day. Additionally, I joined the Italian & Spanish Society on a trip to Southern Italy, visiting Sorrento, Pompeii, and Capri, where I made wonderful new friends. There were countless other instances where I was very lucky to have friends who showed me around their cities and towns, and I am forever grateful for those opportunities.  
 

What challenges did you face during your exchange and how did you overcome them?

Cooking! I would recommend spending some time with family to learn their home cooking and also refresh your cooking skills in general, so you can recreate the recipes exactly as I definitely missed my home cooking while being away.  

What was your biggest takeaway from your experience?

Just say yes to everything. University student life in the UK is very different from Australia. There are so many opportunities to make new friends or experience new things and sometimes you just need to say yes to whatever opportunity comes your way, even when alone. 

Do you have 1 piece of advice you would tell other students thinking about going on Exchange?

Do the full year if you can, as 6 months isn’t enough. By the time you’ve settled in, you’re about to leave. I’ve had so many friends there who wished they had done the full year.  

What new skills or knowledge did you gain from the experience?

I had to learn how to negotiate with both engineering faculties at Adelaide and Cardiff universities as I was constantly emailing staff and chasing up things. I was extremely pleased to receive credit for 8 courses during my time in Cardiff after discussing with my program director in Adelaide. I also had to negotiate extensively with Cardiff University to allow me to enrol in 2 modules with overlapping lectures times despite both lectures being recorded.   

What is something that would entice you to travel back to UK?

I’ll be going back to Cardiff in February to visit friends and for Unibrass which is luckily hosted by Cardiff University Brass Band in 2025. It’s essentially like Generations in Jazz but for brass bands from other universities across the UK competing. 

How did participating in an Exchange influence your personal growth?

Life in Adelaide is just one small part of your journey: there’s so much more out there to explore. Home is what you make of it. 

How did this overseas experience impact your academic or career goals?

I’m hoping to live and work in the UK after I graduate for a few years and I am also potentially interested in doing further studies over there.