Student Profile
Name: Aidan Segura
Major: Biology
Exchange University: University of Leeds, England
Advice: “One thing I wish I knew before I came on my term abroad was the grading system that the United Kingdom uses. Over here, it's extremely normal for individuals to get 50-60 instead of 70-80! A pass here is only 40% and a 70% is the equivalent of a 95/100%! It was super confusing and demoralizing to get lower marks than what I am personally used to, but this all went away when I realized how this was actually normal and I was actually doing better than average! Knowing more about how I would be marked and what to expect would have reduced the amount of stress when working on assignments and receiving marks.”
QUESTIONS
Why did you decide to travel abroad?
Trent’s study abroad program was made known to me and after further exploration of the benefits I decided to study abroad to travel, gain once in a lifetime experience and meet new people from all over the world.
Why did you choose to study at The University of Leeds?
I chose the University of Leeds because it was one of the universities located in a larger city, I knew I wanted to be in the UK because they gave me a month off in April which I could use to travel.
What was your experience like?
My experience was amazing, one similarity with Trent was the student city atmosphere, Leeds is a city of 1 million people but a little over half the population is students so there were a lot of student-based events and things to do for younger people. The nightlife in Leeds was super fun and engaging as well and it was super easy to meet like-minded friends, many of whom were also participating in a study abroad program.
Academically I found Leeds very different to Trent, the lectures for my program were 1 hour max and focused mainly on the overarching topics/themes of the course and as a student you were expected to do a lot more extra reading to solidify your understanding. Overall, both Trent and Leeds are very different, but it was super easy to quickly adjust.
What did you find was the most challenging while abroad?
Connecting with my friends back home regularly was quite challenging, it was also difficult to understand how the academics worked in comparison to back home.
In your opinion, what would you say are the benefits of studying abroad?
I think that overall, the main benefit of studying abroad is the cultural experience. I would say that it helps develop character and provides you with a larger view of how other people in different parts of the world live! It's also just really cool to have friends from the opposite side of the world! Another benefit is that your Trent tuition covers the cost of the tuition at any of the partner universities.
What was one of your favourite memories from your time abroad?
My favourite memory during my time abroad was the month of April! The universities in the UK give the entire month of April off as an Easter holiday. I chose to utilize this time to travel! I went to Spain, Egypt, Jordan and the city of Jerusalem! Being able to go to all these places truly made my experience one I will not forget.
If someone told you they were thinking about studying abroad but weren’t convinced they should, what would you tell them?
The main piece of advice I would give someone who is considering studying abroad would be to be brave! It is so easy to stay in our comfort zones and continue to live how we are used to, but to be able to experience something like studying abroad builds a huge amount of understanding and character within yourself. Becoming a global citizen is something we should all aim to be and a study abroad, whether it be for a semester or for a whole academic year provides invaluable and irreplaceable experiences that you will never forget. I truly cannot express how grateful I was to be able to participate in this program and how beneficial it can be for university students.