The benefits of being a European student in the UK

I always wanted to study abroad, explore new places and find the best opportunities for myself, and that is what brought me to study in the UK. In this blog, I will talk about my experience and the benefits of being a European student in the UK.

Initially, I was not sure if I’d have a chance to study in the UK, but a year and a half later, here I am as a first-year Biomedicine student at the University of Huddersfield. Now I’ll share with you some things that initially made me want to study in the UK and the things that I did not know before starting my degree in the UK but love as a current student.

You don’t have to look for the English-taught courses (obviously) like in the rest of the European countries

As an International Baccalaureate graduate, I already planned to study somewhere abroad during high school. The issue I faced is that my German is not really good so I could not apply to Austrian, German or Swiss universities, which are usually convenient for Croatian students as the countries are geographically close and a lot of people work there and almost everyone has some connections with those nations. So, in my decision to study abroad, I was limited to the English-taught courses throughout Europe. From this arose another issue, a very small range of European universities offer English-taught undergraduate degrees, and an even smaller range of those degrees in life and applied sciences, which interested me. I always thought UK universities would be way out of my league, but I thought I’d just browse to see the available options, just out of curiosity. I was intrigued not only with the wide range of options available but also with the fact that the admission requirements were not as high as I thought they would be, which made me much more confident in applying here. Out of all the options available, the next “problem” that I faced is not being able to decide which course to apply for!

European and International students in the UK are greeted with a warm welcome

The first thing that surprised me when I arrived in Huddersfield is how welcoming the University is. 

Despite the pandemic, there was a Fresher’s Fair, with social distancing measures in place, it was well organised and among various events and freebies, the Student’s Union were sharing free cookies around the campus! How lovely is that? 

The warm welcome was also provided by the lecturers from my school – they all filmed short welcome messages for new students introducing themselves and their area of career interest, these videos were posted to our virtual learning platform.

Huddersfield is a very friendly town, the locals and the students are all very kind and helpful.

Living costs are not as high as you might think

Before applying to a university abroad, it is crucial to do your research on living costs. During my gap year, I spent 3 months in Scotland and I was surprised that grocery prices were not nearly as high as I thought they would be most foods were of equal or of a lesser price than in my home country, Croatia, and the same goes for Huddersfield. 

The cost of living in the UK very much depends on where exactly you want to live and study. Southern England appears to be more expensive than northern England, so to me, it was much more convenient to search for a course at universities in northern England. 

After doing my research, Huddersfield seemed like a perfect fit for me, not only because the University is TEF gold rated and offers industry placement opportunities which I will cover in more detail in a second, but primarily because of the affordable living costs in the town centre. To put this into perspective for EU students; at the time of writing this blog, Huddersfield rent prices are approximately 15% higher than in Zagreb, around 70% lower than in Vienna, Berlin, Madrid and Zurich, 15% lower than in Graz and Ljubljana, 153% lower than in Paris and 257% lower than in London. Keep in mind that these numbers may change over time and they are self-reported but its a good indication of average rent prices, grocery prices, monthly utilities, salaries and much more. You can check the comparison with any other city around the world. Wherever you are in the world it is still important to budget as a student.

Students in the UK receive incredible support from their University

One of the reasons why I wanted to study abroad is because the education system in my home country is not focused enough on providing student support and encouraging personal and professional development among students (of course, there are always exceptions). But that can make university life more stressful than it should be and provides fewer opportunities. 

So, what are the benefits that students have in the UK?

First and foremost, the wellbeing and disability support. Students at the University of Huddersfield are provided with the 24/7 online support network called Togetherall which offers confidential advice, peer support, online support programmes and a place to express yourself. We are also encouraged to book a wellbeing or mental health appointment with an adviser should we need to. The aim is to improve student’s engagement with the studies and university life or get support in managing their mental health. Students are also given the opportunity to access short-term counselling, many support groups and workshops such as stress management and similar. As for the disability support, the University of Huddersfield strives to make the campus as accessible as possible for everyone.

The students are also provided with the support of the Careers and Employability Service which can help with:

• career planning
• finding volunteering opportunities and work experience
• job applications
• CV checking and interview preparation
• assessment centres and psychometric tests
• personal statements
• guidance on further study 
• and much more

I think this is very important and beneficial for students in regards to getting ready for employment. Relevant careers fairs can also be found on the Careers and Employability website! This is certainly a benefit for European students in the UK.

Similar to the Careers and Employability Service, the University also has The Enterprise Team which helps you with self-employment, freelancing and starting up your own business. Incredible.

The University of Huddersfield also has a Student Guidance Team consisting of student advisers and academic skills tutors that help us with learning development – including the development of effective learning habits, time management, organisation of work and managing deadlines, and similar; and academic study skills such as project planning, referencing and paraphrasing, maths, presentations of academic work and among everything else critical thinking. 

Additionally, every student has a Personal Academic Tutor which we can talk to about our studies and difficulties we come across and learn from them, and they are here to check on our progress and to see if we need any help.

Students can also join more than 100 societies, including academic, creative, social and sports groups, led by the Students' Union and international societies who host Global Campus Events supported by the International Office. 

Along with that, there are some amazing student job opportunities at Universities and Students Unions, for those of us who are on the lookout for part-time jobs.

These are just some of the many amazing services available to the students at the University of Huddersfield, and I have never felt this supported by an educational institution. I simply wasn’t familiar with getting this sort of support and services available for free before coming to study to the UK, and I love the fact that at the University of Huddersfield the focus is not only on students acquiring knowledge and having it tested but also on encouraging us to adopt effective learning methods, develop healthy habits, and on our overall wellbeing.

Speaking of healthy habits and personal and professional development, I almost forgot to mention that each student at the University of Huddersfield is also undertaking a Global Professional Award module, which helps students build key skills such as self-motivation, commercial awareness, enterprising skills, resilience, and collaborative and leadership skills, aiming to provide graduates of the University of Huddersfield with a competitive edge

The UK offers plenty of opportunities to gain work experience in your field of study

For me, the most exciting aspect of studying at the University of Huddersfield is that various courses offer their students to undertake a paid placement year in research or in industry during their third year of study, or to undertake an enterprise placement year and start-up their own business. 

This is one of the things that initially attracted me to the University of Huddersfield because not all universities offer this to their students and I find myself learning most effectively through doing practical work, so a year of hands-on work experience will not only benefit my CV but also help me grasp all the theoretical stuff that I will be learning in my first two years much more profoundly. But similar opportunities are also offered by other organisations, companies, and societies, and you don’t have to wait until your third year to get this type of experience. Students in their first and second year of University can undertake internships, and summer studentships that offer 6-10 weeks of work experience in a specific field. These opportunities can be found on the University’s Career and Employability website and websites like Targetjobs or Prospects.

The Brexit impact on European students 

When it comes to living in the UK, probably the first thing, aside from costs, that you need to know about is how will Brexit affect you. As a current European student, I am happy to be able to say that Brexit hasn’t impacted my stay. However, from 2021 it will affect European students. The main difference is that eventually EU students will be classed as international students. My advice would be to apply now. 

Summary - The benefits of being a European student in the UK

• If you desire to study abroad and your first foreign language is English, language won’t be a barrier like it might be in the rest of the European countries.
• You will be greeted with a warm welcome.
• Living costs are not as high as you might think.
• Incredible wellbeing and career support will be provided to you throughout your time here, along with various opportunities for personal and professional development.
• Fantastic student experience.
• You can gain valuable work experience in your desired field in the form of an internship, summer studentship or a placement year.