My time in England

The former seaport Sunderland is located in the north east of England close to the river Tyne at the mouth of the smaller river Wear with about 174,000 inhabitants. The North Sea and the beach are only a couple of steps away. Seagulls circle above the sky and the wind spreads the smell of the sea through the city. Coal mines and shipyards are only memories of a different time in the past. The places where giant ships were constructed for the British marine and workers spend their time in the underground exist no longer. Today university buildings and the Stadium of Light occupy these locations. A few patient anglers enjoy the beautiful weather at the pier to the Roker Lighthouse. The waves bash into the rocks and far away sailors struggle with the wind. Welcome to Sunderland.


 
The initial technical institute of mining and mathematics attained 1992 the title University of Sunderland and has continually improved their facilities since then. Various improvements were just finished in the recent years, so that the equipment is up to date. Today about 20,000 students find a place to study their desire at the two campuses in Sunderland, St. Peters and City Campus, as well at one facility in London. These offer a wide range of subjects with Bachelor and Master degree programs from Performing Arts with dance and theater to technical study courses such as Electronic and Electrical Engineering.
 

The slogan "Life Changing" illustrate the pursuit of encouraging every student in any way on the path of their career, thus the UoS represent a lasting change in their life. For instance the Students Union and the newly built sports center offer numerous activities, excursions and projects in which you can get easily involved. It is possible to try out a lot of interesting sports and monthly organized trips provide a good way to discover famous British cities such as Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester or York.

The city has a good infrastructure and a direct connection to the bigger city Newcastle next to Sunderland. Although it is a bit quiet during the day, the massive change to a university city is visible throughout the whole cityscape, so that culture and economy aim to be attractive for students. Numerous activities such as bowling and laser quest can be found and some discos and clubs invite students every weekend into the nightlife. Due this welcoming character students from many different nationalities study at the UoS. Accordingly, it is very easy to meet people from various places of the world.

Clanny House is one of the halls of residence in Sunderland. Especially exchange students use these flats as their temporary home. Also many Germans take the adventure to northern England. However, it is important to use English as the main language as much as possible in order get benefit from the usage. Usually seven people share a kitchen, two showers and three toilets. With a good community you learn even late at night new card games and sing together Christmas songs even in summer. Your flat mates will be ready for movie nights, long discussions and house parties in the kitchen with excellent meals. Unfortunately the kitchen has not the equipment, which you might be used to, however, an Aldi 10-minutes away provides everything you need for survival.

A direct bus service from all halls of residence to the campus is free. A nice "Cheers!" to the bus driver shall not be forgotten. After a brief period of adjustment to the language, you get used to the culture and the new environment. The pronunciation of the "Mackem", the citizens of Sunderland, is partly quite weird, but you understand it very well and get also used to the left-hand driving after a short time. The To-do list for your study abroad year should definitely include a visit to the stadium to support the "Red and White Army" in the Primer League. Furthermore there are numerous small cultural treasures of the city and the surrounding area, which should not be missed. Thanks to several buses such as the National Express or by bike you can reach easily and cheap many interesting places such as original settings of the Harry Potter movies.

Within my semester abroad, I took part in the two specific subject courses Understanding Business and Marketing Communications. These modules are part of the Faculty of Business and Law, based at St. Peters campus right to the river Wear. In addition, I took advantage of the module English for Academic Purposes 3. The EAP course explains international students how summaries and essays are written correctly in English and extends the academic vocabulary.

The lectures are often used to discuss the content. It is expected that every student use a certain number of hours a week to read the current chapter online or in the library. This is essential in order to participate in the discussions. In addition, there is compulsory attendance for all events. Through practical tasks, students are purposefully prepared for the future working environment. Often the handling of complex issues is assessed by several assignments in one module. These are limited by the word count and evaluated with a percentage. 

Hence I study industrial and organizational psychology, the studies in England has shown me in particular the economic aspects of my special field in detail and presented me new connections to other issues. Although I missed the scientific aspects of psychology, the module structure allowed me to gain a lot of new knowledge and helped me to link old information. The presentation of a business plan in Understanding Business was a good practice for future situations in which a lecture must be kept in English. Furthermore it was beneficial to get to know terms and concepts in English in order to understand more easily English specialist literature in the future. Due to the practical application of the issues it was certain how to transfer the concepts in practice.
 
The semester in northern England was an enriching experience for my studies and my personal development. The stay has promoted my intercultural competencies, hence I worked with international students in several projects. I got to know different people from all over the world and gained in these five months important experiences for the future. In addition to my studies I have mastered new challenges, which showed me new characteristics of my personality and taught me vital lessons. With a British group of theater students I performed a musical event and completed after a weekly training a 10 km run in Sunderland. The fresh air on the coast is incomparable and after a while you get even used to the headwinds. During spontaneous trips I have learned a lot about the British lifestyle and the coastal landscape. Thanks to northern England and its culture I enjoyed an interesting and eventful time of my life.
In conclusion, the positive aspects of my time in Sunderland definitely dominate. Despite the costs and the bad exchange rate of Pound and Euro at the time, I recommend a semester abroad in Sunderland. Finally, I can only give the advice to arrive with the attitude of getting involved in everything and I am sure you will have an unforgettable time. The aim to discover everything will reveal you that the North has its own special character. The experience I have gained for my professional and personal career during this time, have shown me that it was the right decision to study at the University of Sunderland. After a while back home I assure you are going to miss the friends you have made and the wind of the sea.