Why paying to study in Wales is well worth it
Overseas students are worth £900m to the Welsh economy, according to the Higher Education Policy Institute. Here international student Emilie Kjellerup explains why she chose to pay to study in Cardiff rather than enjoy free university education in her ho
BEING an EU student in Wales is very exciting and comes with lots of questions. I learned quite a few things in my first semester in Cardiff, one of them is “diolch” which means “thank you” in Welsh. I believe it covers very well my feelings of how Wales has welcomed me.
I’m 22 and started my bachelor degree in journalism this September at the University of South Wales in Cardiff, based at the Atrium.
If I had chosen to go to university in Denmark it would have been free.
I took two years off to work and save to pay to come to university in Wales.
I also get a grant from the Danish government, which all Danish students get - which covers my living costs. This grant is means tested and I get £670 a month.
I chose to pay to study in Cardiff because I want to improve my English and as my ambition is to be a journalist I hope it will increase my future international opportunities.
In Denmark I started learning English at the age of 10, but now school children start learning the language aged seven. I think that’s a good idea.
I also chose to study here because my Belgium boyfriend chose to study chiropractic here.
Only a limited number of universities offer that subject and the USW in Treforest was the cheapest out of those.
I’ve previously lived in Texas for a year so I thought that the English language wouldn’t be a barrier. I was wrong. English spoken in Wales and Britain is much more difficult than I had thought it to be. Not only is pronunciation a challenge, but also all the different words with the same meaning. For example, going to the bathroom, or toilet, maybe the loo or the ladies.
Despite the language barriers, I enjoy living in a big city and all the events and opportunities it comes with.
I’m originally from Viborg, a smaller city in the middle of Jutland, Denmark with just under 35,000 citizens, where the last bus on a Friday night leaves at 22:10.
The weather forecast doesn’t differ much so I made sure to bring my rain boots to Wales.
To begin with, I couldn’t really place Wales on a map which might be a general thing in Denmark. My grandfather still asks me how it’s going in England.
Moving here is not at all what I expected it to be like, but then again, it’s difficult to make expectations on living in a foreign country.
I admire the very polite and friendly people I’ve met in just a short amount of time here. I find it quite hilarious how people excuse themselves or say thank you, cheers and my pleasure, preferably all at the same time, that is something I could learn from.
It’s difficult to point out one thing I like the most about living here. I love the unique nature that covers all of Wales like the beaches and Brecon Beacon. I’m planning to explore Snowdonia soon.
I currently live in a shared house in Cathays, after moving I realized that thousands of other UK and international students chose the same area. This brings a lot of life to the area which has its perks and disadvantages.
However much I enjoy living here and will do for five more years until we both finish our studies, I’m not planning on staying. I would like to explore other countries, maybe Belgium as that’s where my boyfriend is from or maybe another country. I’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Until then, Cardiff is my home.