Hi everyone! My name is Tilly and I am currently a third-year student studying psychology. I have just come home from a semester abroad at the University of Hamburg in Germany. I definitely had a lot of challenges before and during my study abroad, which I would like to go over to provide a realistic account of the challenges you may face during your study abroad, however, I do not regret my time away at all!
The initial process of applying for a study abroad was relatively easy, however, as the process continued, some major issues presented themselves. Firstly, it is incredibly difficult to obtain university-provided student accommodation in Hamburg. An application was sent in early on and by the end of July I had still not heard anything from Hamburg, adding a layer of stress as I was concerned I would have nowhere to live. Luckily I was offered accommodation at the last second, but I know a lot of people who did not and ended up paying for very expensive private accommodation. The accommodation itself was okay but you get what you pay for!
One of the main challenges I faced was a lack of communication. My exchange coordinator in Hamburg did not take great care of my friend and me and we felt like she did not listen to us when we tried to explain various problems we were experiencing. When we tried to explain to the study abroad team just how little she was replying to our emails, I felt we were not being listened to either, until it was a couple of weeks before we were supposed to be leaving for Hamburg when the situation became more critical and our parents had to get involved. Another challenge I faced was being told by the University of Southampton that I might have to go home because I was not allowed to take enough modules to get enough credits to pass the semester. The situation was escalated to higher levels, where we got approval for multiple modules outside of psychology, but it was incredibly anxiety-inducing because we felt as though we were not able to settle down properly until this issue was resolved. This problem stemmed from it not being checked before we could apply that there were enough English-taught modules in psychology for us to take. So a word of warning, be prepared to look for multiple modules that interest you outside of psychology!
The city of Hamburg itself was beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed just walking around the city in the sun doing some window shopping! The campus was in a good location right by a train station that was well-connected to my accommodation. The nightlife in Hamburg has the potential to be amazing, however, I did not explore it enough to detail that extensively. The international student network at the University of Hamburg was good at putting on fun events which ranged from paint and sip to karaoke. I went to both of these events multiple times and I had a good time. The paint and sip event was a great opportunity to get creative, drink some wine, and meet some lovely people! Another aspect of Hamburg I liked was how well-connected it was. The public transport links are amazing and it’s so easy to get all over Hamburg. My favourite form of transport was the ferries! It was gorgeous to take a ferry at sunset and go up the river and see the beaches and lovely houses of Hamburg from the water. I also went to Berlin for a weekend by getting on a 2-hour train from the central station. This was so much fun and I loved revisiting the city and experiencing all the things I had done there years ago!
Going forward, I would recommend doing a study abroad, I really enjoyed my time there once I had settled in and I loved the city itself. I would advise you to be cautious when applying for a study abroad, I would definitely make sure there are enough modules in your first language and for your course before you apply and check the semester dates don’t overlap too much