MY EXPERIENCE IN BRISTOL

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          By Xu You

    Ernst Hemingway ever commented on Paris: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a movable feast”. Now I believe Bristol will also leave its movable feast and so many unforgettable precious memories staying with me.

    As for school life, I can still clearly remember on the first day, the dean of school of economics, finance and managementsaid:”I hope you can work hard and play harder”, at the welcome party. Now I can thoroughly understand the meaning of his words. Since the study had begun, the workload and upcoming challenges made me lead a hectic and intensive life. When I was pushed to finish piles of assignments and reading lists, I also learned how to let out the stress and adjust the pace. I lived nearby the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, where the tidal reaches of the river provide great habitat for waterbirds and seagulls. Jogging around the bridge and the forest park is one of my favorite thing to do when the study sometimes gets overwhelming.

The teaching resources and facilities provided impressed me. Since the orientation week, I realized that the most important but daunting experience for me is joining in discussion. This may be a common and effective way to learn in the western education system, but for students like me who have studied for many years in the Asian cultural environment, raising my own voice and participating in discussing topics with others was not that kind of easy or comfortable in the beginning. But our university equipped each student with supportive tutors and other teachers who can provide prompt help for all your questions from both academic, career and other areas. I had tutorials after each lecture and that is the best time to be interactive. Some of the lecturers and professors are the academic leaders in cutting-edge fields in accounting or finance. The discussion with other experienced professors and advisers also leads me to reflect on my own thinking logic, methods and even belief, which contributes in more ways than I can write to my personal growth and career planning.

Overall, my studies at the University of Bristol are quite satisfying. In particular, there are weekly workshops from our Career Service Center where you can get tips about job-seeking process, such as prospects of your engaging industry, CV, and your interview dress code. These practical training helped me a lot when I was seeking my career in China.

    When studying abroad, I was rarely homesick. Video chat is one of the best tools for overseas student to beat loneliness to communicate more with families and friends in China. Besides, throughout the whole year, there were activities that were designed for international students such as BISC and a picnic. I took full advantage of these activities as I now have some great friends from around the world. I remembered the night we played guitar and sang popular songs together and taught each other how to play traditional games of our own countries. Thanks to these meaningful activities, I have been able to integrate myself in with a group of friends and colleagues who are working in similar or totally different areas.

However, it’s not always a pleasant experience while you are living in a foreign country. Discrimination exists. I was verbally attacked several times in the year for no reason, or simply because I’m Chinese with Asian look. This is what I never thought of and it truly happened. At first I felt quite upset and in the first weeks I turned to my language teacher in JUFE, Mehrdad. He wrote me emails and told me that “Discrimination exists everywhere. People are people and do not generalize if a person doing bad it is his nation”. That’s true. I believe that over 99% of native people are nice and friendly. He advised me to meet more new friends in a wider community or giving a helping hand for volunteering group, instead of staying in the school cocoon alone. And that’s also what I did. I really appreciate each inspiring email and caring supports from Mehrdad and it’s a great fortune for me to have such a teacher as a friend in my life.

After I finished all the paperwork of my master year, I took off to Scotland and several European countries for a two-week adventure with my friends. Traffic is so convenient that Europe is at your doorstep. There are actually some travel opportunities if you can afford the time and money after accomplishing all your assignments and exams. I was so lucky to be able to travel very young and get to see a variety of places and people.

Whenever it is, I never regretted having this impressive studying experience in my life before I embarked on my career. It was a rewarding and fulfilling learning experience and I highly recommended University of Bristol to any potential students who are looking forward to studying in the UK.