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University of Birmingham

230 reviews
3.99 / 5 based on 230 reviews
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Sylvie M
Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France
European Studies, Graduate, Independent
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Social
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Personal comments
I needed some time to fully cope with academic English. But the amount of research work , essays and presentations I was asked to do helped me a lot to quickly improve my language skills .
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Sylvie M
Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France
European Studies, Graduate, Independent
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits
Food is more expensive in the Uk than in France. International calls cost a lot.
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Food, Telephone, Travel, Overall:
was more expensive than at home.
Housing, Nightlife:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Personal comments
Buy pre-paid international phone cards, that's the best deal you can find to call home !
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Sylvie M
Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France
European Studies, Graduate, Independent
Academic
Course recommendations
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My academic experiences
Quality of courses
Variety of courses
Access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
More connections among different departments.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Useful  |  1
Sylvie M
Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France
European Studies, Graduate, Independent
Overall
I wish I had known...
The university campus is really nice, but Birmingham is a quite boring and ugly industrial city. You need to like living in a very big and grey city!
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In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Academic reasons
4
Culture
3
Costs
3
Activities
3
Campus life
3
Party / people
3
Weather / location
2
Personal recommendation
My academic experience there was great and the studies level is quite high. The campus is big and green, and you can find a lot of social opportunities there.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
4
Traveled
3
Improved language skills
4
Met people from other countries
4
Became more independent
3
Partied a lot
3
Experienced a change in life
4
Advanced my studies & career
4
Final comments
Travel within the UK with the young person railcard, which saves you up to 1/3 of train prices. Visit the job center of the university, they have a lot of positions to offer.
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Sylvie M
Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France
European Studies, Graduate, Independent
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Activities, Travel: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Activities
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Personal comments
The best cafes are at the canals (Brindley's place) in the city center. The best cinemas to me are MAC and Electric cinema, if you like independent movies.
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Sylvie M
Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France
European Studies, Graduate, Independent
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Independently - My choice
If returning, I would choose: On campus
Why?
for the contact with other international students
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Personal assessment
Cost
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Personal comments
University accommodations are of good quality but pretty expensive. Private accommodations are much cheaper but can be of very bad quality. If you look for contact with english students, it's better to share a private house than living in unveristy accomodations, which are reserved to international students.
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