EducationUKCanada Newsletter • Summer 2013

in this issue...

educationuk.org/canada@EducationUKEducation UK - British Council

Student life in the UK: food, art, cinema, music, sport & more

•

One student’s journey of a lifetime, studying in Edinburgh, Scotland

UK Life and Culture

My UK Experience

Faculty Feature: Andrew Derrington

University of Liverpool professor on the advantages of UK study

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•Student InterviewSheffield Hallam University

student on his UK law program

The British Council is delighted to welcome you to our first EducationUK newsletter for readers in Canada. This quarterly newsletter will provide all the latest on university programmes and student life in the United Kingdom. We will bring you pro-files of Canadians who have made the trip across the pond and lived to tell the tale! And with the cost of education on the rise everywhere, we will provide you with news on scholarships and bursaries available to Canadian students who want to study in the UK.

With hundreds of universities across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and four of the top 10 universities in the world, the UK is increasingly a top choice for Canadi-ans looking to study abroad. The numbers say it all. In the last ten years the numbers of Canadian students pursuing an un-dergraduate or graduate degree in the UK has almost doubled, from just over 4,000 in 2002 to more than 7,500 in 2012.

We hope that EducationUK will become your go-to source for information on opportunities to study in the UK. And we’d love to hear from you. Please send your questions and thoughts on EducationUK to ca-education@britishcouncil.org, or Tweet us @caBritish or follow us on Facebook.com/BritishCouncil-Canada for inclusion in our next newsletter. Meanwhile, happy reading!

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My UK ExperienceRoss Arbour wasn’t sure what to expect when he arrived in Edinburgh for study abroad. What he dis-covered was a magical city full of new experiences.

Last January, I was standing in Lon-don’s Heathrow airport. Heathrow is truly the world’s crossroads,

where people come and go from every populated continent. I had just crossed the Atlantic overnight from Toronto, and was watching my first UK sunrise while waiting for my connecting flight to Edinburgh.

Never before had I been outside Canada for more than a 10 day vaca-tion, and here I was about live and study in Scotland.

I was slightly nervous about living in a foreign country, as one is when confronted with any unfamiliar experi-ence. Standing in the departure lounge at Heathrow, watching aircraft touch-down, making contact with British soil just like I had an hour earlier, was when it hit me: I was really here, embarking on the pursuit of higher education in the UK.

For the first few days, I would Skype friends back home in search of reassur-ance: had I made the right decision by leaving Canada for the UK? Within a week, my uneasiness gave way to Scot-tish hospitality and magical Edinburgh.

I can now confidently state here that studying in the UK was one of the most enriching and fulfilling experiences of my life. It was vibrant, diverse and en-lightening.

In addition to all of my new Scottish friendships, I lived in an international residence and met people from all over the world. A typical day might start with coffee in the meadows across from my flat before heading to beautiful and historic Craighouse campus for class at

Edinburgh Napier University, followed by some exercise: ascending Arthur’s Seat, the highest point in Edinburgh, for unforgettable views. I might go to a football game, or one of Edinburgh’s many free museums. In the evening, I could head to a pub with Scottish and international friends.

On weekends I would take advan-tage of Europe’s connectivity. I explored the UK by car and train. I flew to Nor-way, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Iceland, Turkey and Jordan.

Academically, my classes were top tier. As a journalism student at Napier University, we produced a magazine that was distributed across the city. The hands on experience in the competitive UK publication market is unmatched.

On my last day in Edinburgh, some-thing happened to me that is typical of the UK experience. A cab driver saw me struggling to lug my suitcases through the street. He pulled over and asked if I want a ride, I told him unfor-tunately I only had enough cash for a one-way ticket on the airport bus. His generous response was to give me a free

lift to the airport bus stop. The people of Edinburgh opened their hearts and their city to me at every chance.

Studying in the UK broadened my horizons. The following summer, I cov-ered 56,000km with a backpack, filling a passport with stamps. Studying in the UK gave me the courage to take on such an ambitious adventure.

Looking back on my experience in the UK, the two hardest parts were the first hello in unfamiliar territory, and the last goodbye, to the only other place I’ve ever called home: Edinburgh.

“Studying in the UK was one of the most enriching and fulfilling experiences of my life. It was vibrant, diverse and enlightening.

•

Liverpool

Professor Andrew Derrington

Pro-Vice Chancellor for Humanities and Social SciencesUniversity of Liverpool

The UK has some of the best universities in the world and so does Canada. There are different reasons you might choose a UK university depending on whether

you are an undergraduate or a postgraduate.As an undergraduate, wherever you choose to study,

university will change your life. Studying for a degree in a research intensive university gives you the opportunity to study with the cleverest people of your generation and to be taught by the people who are defining their subjects.

The research efforts of a modern university are coordi-nated by multidisciplinary themes that address major prob-lems that face the world. Undergraduate study is informed by these themes, so you learn about ways that your discipline is contributing to the solution of these major problems. You also use research techniques in your study, so that by the time you finish your degree you will be equipped to analyse, understand and solve the problems of the future, problems that we do yet know exist.

It is widely acknowledged that University study is en-riched when it is combined with experience overseas. The attraction of a British University is not that it is better than a Canadian University, but that it is embedded in a differ-ent city, one that provides academic and social experiences that are unique and distinctive. Liverpool for example, has a great heritage as an international seaport - recognised by its designation as a world heritage site. It has strong links with Canada, forged by emigration and trade through Liverpool.

More recently Liverpool’s fame rests on its world-renowned contributions to music and to sport - soccer not hockey!

Liverpool is also anticipating an exciting future as a sea-port. When the Panama Canal is widened in 2015, Liverpool will become the port of choice for some of the UK’s most important trading routes, particularly with China. This will give a massive boost to the City and will also support some of our research interests in urban environments, in logistics and in offshore energy.

Like the great Canadian universities, University of Liv-erpool thrives on the cultural diversity of students and staff. We want to attract the greatest minds, wherever they may come from. We currently have students from over 100 coun-tries studying in Liverpool.

As a postgraduate, choice of university is determined much more directly by the distinctive features of the Uni-versity. This will be partly a matter of what postgraduate courses they offer but also it will be driven by who works at the university and what research they have published. When I applied for PhD places I was targeting individual scientists whose work I was interested in. I did my PhD in a lab with students and post-docs from the US, Canada, Australia, France and the UK. We were all there because of the person leading the lab. At a research level, science is truly interna-tional. Top labs in Canada attract the best students from the UK and the best students in Canada should consider the UK as a place to do a PhD.

Why should Canadians consider studying in the UK?

BioAndrew Derrington is a pro-

fessor and pro-vice chancellor for Humanities and Social Sci-ences at the University of Liver-pool. He has also held research positions at the University of Kent, Newcastle University and Nottingham University.

When he left school he wanted to become a medical doctor, and went to Oxford University to study medicine. There, while learning about

research on the brain, he got hooked on research and decided to do a PhD. He never returned to his medical studies.

His research seeks to under-stand the brain mechanisms of visual perception. He has published influential papers on the mechanisms of colour vision, the limits of vision, the perception of spacial structure, mechanisms of orientation-dis-crimination, and on the analysis

and perception of motion.He has a particular interest

in academic leadership, occa-sionally blogging about issues related to academic manage-ment under the pseudonym Russell Dean. Along with Jac-queline Aldridge, his colleague from the University of Kent, he has written a book to help academics decide what sort of research grants to apply for and better write applications.

The food you can buy in the UK reflects the many ethnic influences in British society. Most supermarkets sell ingredients from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as food from many other parts of the world. Of course, you’ll still find the famous English breakfast and fish and chips, but you’ll also see a very diverse range of meals and menus while you’re studying in the UK. Families in the UK often eat a traditional Sunday roast‚ but those same families are also likely to enjoy anything from Italian pizza to Singapore Noodles. There is a rising trend for farmer’s markets specialising in locally-grown produce such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.

UK Life and CultureUK life is an incredible mix of international cultures and contemporary thinking, held to-gether by a strong sense of identity and tradition. Study in the UK and you will find an array of exciting experiences to discover—music, celebrations, accents, people to meet, places to visit—the list is endless. As the UK is such a cosmopolitan society, you’ll find that many UK customs are already familiar to you and so you’ll settle in faster than you think.

CuisineEntertainmentMusic is a big part of UK culture:

you’ll find pop, rock, electro, hip-hop, classical, folk, jazz, opera and all sorts of world music. From small clubs, in-dependent cafes and bars to interna-tional scale concert halls, rock festivals or gigs, you can listen and dance to live music all over the UK. Many major artists play at university campuses too! Apart from a wealth of clubs and soci-eties on campus or in local communi-ties, you can visit traditional museums, contemporary art spaces and galleries in most UK cities. Sculpture, paint-ing, video and photography are widely available to see in the UK. The UK also has a vibrant theatre and performing arts heritage, maintaining both tradi-tional plays and musicals, and encour-aging new and alternative productions. There are cinemas in almost every UK town and city, showing feature films from all over the world. There are also many film festivals in Britain.

LeisureThe UK offers an incredible and

beautiful landscape for walking, climb-ing, cycling, mountain-biking and run-ning. The mountains of Scotland and Wales, the rolling hills of England and Northern Ireland, the Lake District and the Yorkshire moors, as well as the coastline of all parts of the UK will be all around you. Many UK institutions have state-of-the-art sports facilities, but you can also use local authority or private leisure centres to keep fit and healthy. As a student in the UK, there are many opportunities to attend or participate in organised sports activi-ties, or get involved in charitable events like sponsored walks and runs, like the world famous London Marathon.

Take our Education UK Student Insight Survey online at http://studentsurvey.britishcouncil.org

Student Insight Survey

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What did you study at Sheffield Hallam University? I studied Law/Legal Studies on academic exchange from

September 2010 till May 2011.

Why did you choose Sheffield?When seeking out an international exchange at Carleton

University, I was initially looking to go to the Netherlands. However, I was soon notified that my Legal Studies program had an exclusive exchange program with Sheffield Hallam University to swap a select amount of students. As a result, this became my first choice. By this virtue, I did not choose Sheffield; I merely chose an applicable exchange suitable for my studies.

Were you nervous or scared when you first arrived?Having traveled before throughout the UK and Europe,

I knew that this exchange would be vastly different from be-ing a tourist and sightseer. I was not particularly scared of living alone and being away from family. I was concerned about meeting friends which would have the same interests as I did. I had an extremely friendly pick-up from Manches-ter Airport and from that moment on I felt comfortable. For a brief moment as I sat down in my accommodation for the

first time, I felt nervous and uneasy. Yet a couple hours later I was already out on the town with the people I met a few floors below.

Give me an idea of your typical day.A typical day in Sheffield consisted of a mixture of class-

es, coursework and socialisation. Some days were heavy on classes whereas others were more of a social experience. Be-ing an international exchange student played a massive role in how my social life developed. The international students committee held many events and gatherings for students to meet and mingle. In the end, it all came down to balancing my time in the classroom and the time with my friends.The beauty of studying in Europe is the proximity of other countries. Being one of the many lucky students, I was able to travel during my holiday and catch up with old friends and family all throughout Europe. I could easily say that this ease of travel defined my exchange in Sheffield as I was able to meet with other Carleton students studying in their respective countries while on exchange.

What was your favourite part of the experience?The people leave the largest impact as they are a group of

Omar Khan left his life at university in Ottawa behind for an entirely new and rewarding experience: international exchange in the UK.

Student Q&AOmar KhanSheffield Hallam University

individuals with whom I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life. The academic exchange itself is also something I hold valuable as it allowed me to acquire an education from a different perspective.

What did this experience lead to? How did it change you?The experience inspired me to travel more and to see

more places. In fact, I moved to China to teach English just after my time in Sheffield finished. Also, I am conditionally offered a place to study at King’s College London this Sep-tember… so my desire to study abroad has surfaced once again! In terms of who I am and my lifestyle, all I can say is that this experience made me a lot more confident. There was no family to turn to in difficult times. I was left to work out my problems on my own and with whatever skills I had learned. Basically, being abroad and in the UK was my first step of growing up as a young adult.

Did studying in the UK open any doors for you?Future study, future travel, an enriched education and

further interest in going abroad are just a few of the things I learned.

Was there anything about the UK that surprised you?South Yorkshire was a great place to live. I found that the

people are some of the most warm-hearted and hospitable people in the world. I recall one time when none of my cards

were working at the grocery store and the lady ahead of me offered to pay my bill. She was willing to give me her address and take my word that I’d deliver the money later on. Mo-ments like that leave a great impression.

Did anything culturally unique to the UK happen while you were there, that stood out to you?

I have acquired a love for the beautiful game of football.

What was the hardest thing about adjusting to your new life?

Living with complete strangers was not a hard adjustment but an intriguing adjustment. To learn about each other and to collaborate as a happy household was something very im-portant to me. I did not want to live with high tensions and a negative atmosphere, so for the first time, I learned to live with others. I’d call it a success.

What was the goodbye like?I have mixed feelings about the goodbye. I was heading to

London to get on a flight to China to begin my teaching term whereas on the other hand I was letting go of friends and my brother who had come to travel with me in Europe. It was bittersweet as I was about to begin a brand new journey. In the end, I knew I would be back one day to visit my friends who remain in the UK. The others are all somewhere in Eu-rope, so they too are only a short flight away.

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