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Making friends and discovering a new culture on exchange

Adrian came to the School of Management on an international academic exchange from HEC Montréal in Canada.

Adrian and a friend having lunch
'The most important thing for me was to meet new people and create friendships,' Adrian (right)

The application process

When I decided to go on exchange, my university in Canada gave me a form to fill out, where I listed the top five universities I wanted to go to. I also had to write a couple of paragraphs about why I wanted to go to these universities and what was motivating me to actually do the exchange programme.

Afterwards, my application was evaluated and I was accepted by Bath. From then on, I was sending emails back and forth between Bath and the international relations team back home. It was clear, concise and easy.

Learning and teaching at Bath

The teaching at Bath is different to HEC. Back home the maximum number of students in the class is about 50, so when I walked into amphitheatre of about 200 students, it was a bit different for sure. Also, the grading system is different here. A passing grade is 40 percent but apparently getting more than 70 on a project is difficult. Whereas back home, 50 percent is a pass but it's also possible to get a 90 on one of your projects or on a written exam.

I like that all sessions are recorded; that's something that we don't have back home. I also like the fact that in one of my classes, I have three lecturers for the same class. That class is interesting because the lecturers bring three different perspectives on the same subject.

The teachers here are very responsive to students. You can always go up to the teacher during the break or after class and they're open to questions. You can also email them and meet outside of class hours.

Back home at some universities, the grading system incentivises students to be a little more competitive, so they'll be reluctant to give notes or help other students out of class. At Bath, students are always happy to talk to you and help you out even if you don't know them. As an exchange student, I’ve noticed that's a key part of the culture.

Living in the city of Bath

I really like the city of Bath. One of the main reasons I wanted to come here was because of how safe it is. That’s an important point for students coming here, especially if they have never lived in another country. I've also heard this from some of my female friends as well, about how they walk late at night during winter. None of them have ever been scared getting home.

The city is very walkable. If I want to go get groceries, go to another student accommodation, or up the hills nearby, I'll always walk. It's enjoyable to visit the city at a slow pace. I'm here for a couple of months so it gives me the opportunity to visit all the museums, all the cafes, all the restaurants, all the bars. I don't feel like I’ve missed anything.

In terms of food and drink spots, Café Au Lait is a nice café. For bars, Brewhouse is especially good when you want to do a pub crawl or go to a big bar with your friends. The Raven is a smaller bar, so maybe only go with a couple of friends, but I really like it there too.

My roommates and I like to take walks on the Bath Skyline. My accommodation is right next to the path to go up to the Skyline walk. There's a place for everything; if you like hiking, if you like to do nice walks along the canal or if you just want to stay in the city and go to bars or small cafés.

Experiencing British culture

Something that I heard before I came here was that British food wasn't amazing, but I did want to try everything. So far, I’ve tried sausage rolls, a jacket potato and beans on toast. That wasn't my best culinary experience here! But something people don't talk about a lot is the desserts. The desserts here are extraordinary. I've had millionaire blondies and billionaire blondies. If you go to a pastry shop or a café I’d recommend trying some. Those are absolutely delicious.

The best food that I've eaten here has actually been in pubs. It’s a bit of a culture shock because back home, you don't really eat at a bar. You go to drink. But I ate a Sunday roast and a shepherd's pie and those were delicious. Once you come to the country and you ask around for the good pubs and dishes, you get a nice culinary experience for sure.

My top experiences in the UK

There are a lot of things I've been able to experience so far. My main goal was to go to London. I also wanted to try a nice pint of Guinness and experience the pub culture. Back home, Guinness doesn't taste the same. Our bar culture is a little more individualist. You go to a bar, sit at a table and get served there. Whereas here, you take your beer at the bar standing up. You're talking to your friends, and it's a lot easier to talk to new people as well. It fosters more opportunities for socialising and community.

Visiting pubs was one of the ways that I was able to experience the British culture firsthand as well. Learning the accent, the slang, and everything from the famous TV shows to the history of the country. It was a nice way to experience it.

My advice for students thinking about going on exchange

My advice if you’re considering going on exchange is that you need to be the sort of person who's open to new experiences.

I call my mum and my friends in Canada every week, but I still manage to spend time with my roommates and the friends that I've made here. If you don’t, at the end you might realise you regret when you missed a trip with your roommates or missed the rugby or the football game.

I would also say being organised is really, really important. There are a lot of deadlines, and there are a lot of important documents that you have to send through. If you come here and you let everything go by, you'll miss a lot of events, but you’ll also miss your class deadlines. If you're late on a submission you could fail a class and that could be problematic. Make sure you're checking your emails every day and putting things in your calendar, and it'll save you a lot of stress.

The most important thing for me was to meet new people and create friendships. I think that you should be able to talk to random people when you're in classes. But you also need to have some friendships that you can rely on if you're not doing anything on an evening and you just want to cook together or watch a movie.

I wanted to have strong connections with my roommates. They are the people that I spend the most time with and they’re also going to be the people I’ll see whenever I come back to Europe or whenever they come to Canada. There are about ten people I've made strong connections with and I know that I'll still be talking to them when I go back home. Fostering those friendships is really important.

At Bath, students are always happy to talk to you and help you out even if you don't know them. I’ve noticed that's a key part of the culture.
Adrian Shukri International exchange student (2025)

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