My degree: BA Liberal Arts (majoring in English with proficiency in French)
I hadn’t really thought about about studying abroad before the release of my exam results, but I applied to UK universities as a back-up plan so decided to apply for a subject I was quite interested in. Once I got my results I found that I couldn’t apply for my subject in local Hong Kong universities so I turned to Clearing for more options.
Without much knowledge about UCAS and Clearing, I went to a local education agency for guidance. I found out about the University of Exeter through their high ranking in BA English, which is the degree I wanted to study in my local university. The education agency helped me to contact the Admissions team in Exeter as they had better access to the people I needed to talk to and they had more admission-related information to help put me at ease. Unfortunately, I was told I couldn’t choose BA English at Exeter as I did not have adequate English Literature background in secondary school. BA Liberal Arts was recommended to me instead, which actually worked out a lot better and I am so glad I am doing a Liberal Arts degree right now.
It took me roughly 2 weeks to secure my place in Exeter. The wait was painful but worth it when everything worked out in the end. If I could go back and give advice to my younger self, I will tell her not to panic when things are not going smoothly and the wait will be over soon. It is normal to be worried because it means you care, just be patient at times like this because the Admissions team has to handle a high volume of emails and messages every day and it may just mean they have not got around to replying yours yet.
I am absolutely loving my university life and I wouldn’t want it in another way. The first term in my first year was difficult for me because everything was unfamiliar and relatively new. However, after I have adapted to living and studying in a new environment, I started to enjoy and appreciate my degree and my university life even more. Studying abroad at the University of Exeter has honestly been the most rewarding experience in my life so far.