“This is an experience that has completely changed my life” – Trimester abroad has lasting impact on Biomedical Science students
Two GCU students have been reflecting on their Trimester abroad, which saw them spend five months in Hong Kong – allowing them to soak up the local culture, explore Asia and become best friends.
Charlotte Randall and Emily Mcneill stayed and studied at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) between January and May this year, giving them the chance to experience their degree on the other side of the world.
As well as having the opportunity to develop themselves academically, Charlotte and Emily also made sure they took full advantage of their time by visiting the likes of Vietnam, Taiwan and Macau.
We sat down with both to hear about their experience and how it helped them on a personal level as they head into the final year of their BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science degree.
Why did you want to get involved in the Trimester abroad?
Emily: “I’d always wanted to do something like this but I’ve lived with my parents all my life, so this was the first time I’d actually done something like this myself.”
Charlotte: “When we first started the course we found out that you’d have the opportunity to do a placement or exchange abroad. Ever since hearing about that, I’ve known that I wanted to do exchange.
“My parents are really keen travelers and were encouraging me to go for it as well. I’ve lived away from my parents since I was 18, so I definitely think I had less stress than Emily did about it all!”
Have the two of you been friends since starting at GCU?
Charlotte: “We were lab partners in first year, and then in second year we were in different friendship groups. We never really knew each other outside of University but knew that we were then both going on this trip.”
So this trip really brought the two of you together?
Charlotte: “Oh, yeah - she’s now like my best pal! I’ve always said I wouldn’t have been able to do this trip without Emily. I don’t know what I’d have done if I didn’t have her with me.”
Emily: “We were basically put together and then just got on instantly – it really made everything so much easier!”
Explain a bit more about what a Trimester abroad involves...
Charlotte: “We were basically told this was a chance to do University in a different place. It was also stressed that we had to pass all the exams and take the academic side seriously when we were over there – it wasn’t just a holiday! We were encouraged to go and have fun but also be mindful that we were representing GCU.”
Emily: “We actually had a couple of options of where we could go. Amsterdam was one of them and then obviously Hong Kong. I think once I found out that English was the first language at PolyU it put me in no doubt that I wanted to go there.
Charlotte: “I think for me, I just wanted to try something different. In comparison to Hong Kong, Amsterdam just seemed quite similar and somewhere we could go on a normal city break. If you’re just going to chuck yourself out there then I figured I wanted to go somewhere far away.
“I also had other travel plans and Hong Kong is just the perfect place. It’s so cheap to travel anywhere – we got the chance to go to Vietnam and Taiwan together.”
How did it feel throwing yourself into another culture and stepping out of your comfort zone?
Emily: “I think it’s just so important to do that as a person. I was definitely nervous to go to another country where I didn’t know anyone, but it was something I had to do.
Charlotte: “I would consider myself quite a shy person. I’m an introvert, but after this experience I’ve just felt so much more comfortable talking to people and not being scared to interact. It helped us so much because there’s no opportunity to hide yourself away. You have to go out there and make friends while experiencing the local culture. We’re in fourth year and about to go into work, so we needed that push to go into an environment that we weren’t really sure about.”
How did you cope with that change in culture?
Emily: “The food was very different. I didn’t actually know how to use chopsticks before I went…and we weren’t able to get forks. We were eating noodles with a spoon, but we were quick learners.
Charlotte: “We had also assumed it was going to be really warm over there. Neither of us even took a jacket…we were so naïve and so ready for the hot weather. It was like 9 degrees on certain days! All of our local friends had these big jackets and jumpers, with scarves and hats.
“It was similar to here where January and February were much colder. Once you hit March it hits like 26 degrees and it’s also so humid! We went to the beach one day and one of our local friends was asking why we were going to the beach and telling us we’d be freezing …. I don’t think they understood how consistently cold it is in Scotland!”
You were based at Hong Kong PolyU throughout your trip, what was that like in comparison to GCU?
Charlotte: “PolyU is massive! It’s huge, like the type of University you see in America. They had two massive food halls and pop-up cafes everywhere. There was an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, and lots of sports halls!
“The rooms we stayed in were tiny and we shared a bathroom with two other girls on the other side.”
Emily: “I think that makes it sound like a negative, but we each felt like we had our own individual space. Plus Charlotte and I just clicked so well: we woke up at the same time, we ate at the same time and we went to bed at the same time – it was lovely!”
What was the academic work like over in Hong Kong?
Emily: “We basically had three modules to complete. We kept up with the work well but at the end when we had our exam/study period, we had to really get the head down. It wasn’t much harder than GCU but I would say we maybe focused on the social side quite a bit early on in the trip.”
You mentioned you got a good group of friends over there as well, was that other students on exchange?
Emily: “Some of them were exchange students that we met through events at PolyU aimed at the students visiting. It was totally orchestrated by the University and you could see they really cared about us making connections. We met some local students as well and stuck with them throughout the five months. There was probably a group of like 11 of us and we just stuck together the whole time.”
Charlotte: “We were representing Scotland in the group but some of them lived locally and others were from Japan, France, Canada and the USA. We basically met them at this massive barbeque for the 200 exchange students and we just found this table and happened to sit next to them. Now I consider them to be like part of my family. I’ve never met such kind-hearted people in my life - we’ve definitely taken on parts of them that we will carry on with us through the rest of our lives!”
Did you get the opportunity to do some travelling?
Emily: “We went to quite a few places. A big group of us went to Taiwan, which was really cool. We alos went to Macau for the day – we took the bus over and then the ferry back, but you actually need a separate VISA to get there! Macau is basically the Asian version of Las Vegas. There were lots of casinos which I actually couldn’t go in because I’m only 20! I ended up just going to the shops while they were having a look around.”
Charlotte: “Yeah, you actually didn’t miss much – it was more just to see it all. I actually felt quite sad seeing so many people on the machines. We all agreed we would just go for a look but didn’t actually put on any bets.”
“Vietnam was my favourite place that we went. At the beginning of the trip, I’d said to Emily that I wanted to go to Vietnam with her, but she said she didn’t want to travel! Eventually I managed to convince her and I’m so grateful that we did!”
If you were to pick one highlight from the trip, what would it be?
Charlotte: “We did quite a bit of hillwalking when we were out there. We did quite a few with the group and then some were just Emily and I. We went to Sunset Peak while we were in Hong Kong and it was just utterly gorgeous – the view from the top was insane. We had a heart to heart about our whole experience to that point and ate our snacks, and it was just perfect!”
Emily: “For me, it would probably be the last night our group spent together on the beach. We all went to Repulse Bay and it was the last time we were all with one another. We watched the sunset and just chatted – it was amazing.”
Has the trip inspired you to explore more of Asia in the future?
Emily: “I think I’d love to do it again, to be honest. I’ll definitely be much more open to travelling in the future now that I’ve done this.”
Charlotte: “My goal is now to go back and see the rest of what Asia has to offer. I’d also love to go back to Hong Kong – I miss it so much. I realise my friends won’t be there but I just miss the place, living there and experiencing the culture.”
Finally, what would you say to other students about studying abroad?
Emily: “Take the leap and just go for it! I sat and worried thinking about how I might not be able to do certain things, but it has had such a big impact on me. If you’re sitting on the fence then, honestly, just take that step and do it.”
Charlotte: “Before I went, I started having major doubts. I felt like I was doing it for other people and the fact my parents had really encouraged it was maybe pushing me to do it, but I didn’t know if it was something I really wanted to do for myself. I’m so glad I did because I would have regretted it so much. This is an experience that has completely changed my life. If you have that opportunity then definitely take it.
“Emily and I’s friendship is my favourite thing to come out this trip – it’s been so nice to share the experience with someone else. We both have memories for life now.”
Read about the different opportunities for students have to study abroad here
You can also find out more about studying Biomedical Science at GCU here
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter