At Jacobs University, students have the opportunity to spend a semester away from campus at a partner university. Although an optional choice, “World Track” as the semester is known, gives the students an opportunity to explore academics and social life in a new setting, and learn from students elsewhere in the world. We spoke to Surakshya, one of the World Track students of the class of 2020 to get an insight into her experience.
Surakshya Gautam (Nepal) | BA Global Economics and Management
1. Where did you go for your 5th Semester – World Track?
University of Aberdeen
2. What was it about [the above-mentioned place] that incited you to apply there?
I’ve always felt like Jacobs is too much of a bubble and I wanted to go to a university that’s bigger, basically in the sense that I would be able to meet new people every day and have fleeting connections. Besides that, I wanted to see what it would be like to move to an English-speaking country after living in Germany for two years. I wanted to travel around the UK and I expected that living in Scotland would give me a great start. There was also a course in Aberdeen that I really wanted to take and Jacobs didn’t offer an equivalent here.
3. What was it like, suddenly living and going to university in a different country?
The first week was slightly tough. I usually adapt quickly though as I like moving around and not staying in the same place for too long. I really was not used to everyone speaking in English and it took me some time to actually get used to hear everyone speak in English, especially at grocery stores and public spaces. But it also made me realize just how easy it can be to adapt to a place when you actually know the language? I never had to cook and go to classes at the same time so that was something but soon enough cooking actually became a way for me to wind down and connect with other people. Overall, I would say it was a very different experience from the Jacobs and Germany in a lot of ways.
4. What was your academic experience like? How about your social experience?
My academic experience at UoA was satisfactory. In comparison to Jacobs, the workload was extremely relaxed. One thing I really liked about classes in Aberdeen was that they only had mandatory tutorials (no mandatory lecture attendance). I personally thought that made everything so flexible and practical. Our tutorial groups were very small which meant that I could get one-to-one attention from my professors and it was less intimidating to interact with fellow students in such small groups? I had an enjoyable social experience as well. My third year classes were huge and most people already had a group dynamic going on at that level but for first and second year classes, it was so much easier for me to talk to other people because they were also looking to make new friends. For me, I would say I made more friends through clubs and social events though because there was always something going on and Aberdeen literally had something for everyone. In fact, I met one of my closest friends (and friends-of-friend) in Aberdeen through a photography club social event. Besides that, I also joined a student-led media platform as an editor and met some really cool people who are actually still letting me be involved in the club even though I left (I work for them remotely right now).
5. Why do you think it was important for you to go there/leave for a bit?
Like I said earlier, I really wanted to be away from the Jacobs bubble for a bit. Moreover, after an intense second year at Jacobs, I thought moving away for a bit and having a relaxed class schedule would be amazing, for a change. Before Aberdeen, I was not that great with balancing work and social life but after Aberdeen, I learned just how important it is to strike that balance. That’s something I have been trying to maintain at Jacobs now.
6. Your favourite memory while you were there?
I have so many of them. I travelled a lot, almost every weekend and in fact, I had my first camping experience in Isle of Skye in Scotland. My friends who I went with made this possible for me entirely because I had absolutely no gear with me at all. Besides that, cooking and sharing my food with my friends there and have them do the same with me was such a wholesome experience. Finally, one of my best memories in Aberdeen would also be walking through Seaton Park to go to class every day and just going to the beach for fun because it was just 10 mins walk from where I lived.
7. What did you miss about Jacobs while you were there?
If I have to be absolutely honest, I did not miss Jacobs that much while I was there. I missed my friends and wasting time with them in the servery for hours but it was mostly fleeting and I never dwelled on it too much. One thing that was weird was not being there for Welcome Back dinners and like other social events that I used to go to because it’s like life was still going on normally for my friends back at Jacobs while I was living a completely different experience back in Aberdeen and that’s pretty strange to think about when you’re away.
8. Would you recommend world track to the freshmen and second years?
Yes, absolutely. I cannot recommend it enough. Studying abroad isn’t just great for your resume but also growth-wise because you get to have all these amazing experiences that you don’t realise are available to you unless you actually do it.
BY USHASHI BASU (INDIA) | CLASS OF 2020
