Experience in Birmingham, United Kingdom by Desi

Why did you choose to go to Birmingham, United Kingdom?

To be honest, when I started to do all the paperwork for the Erasmus year, I had no idea about all the different places that we had to choose from. So, I began by searching them on Google, when I realised that my search for universities had ended up with me being focused on the different aspects of Birmingham.

University of Birmingham Source

So after having seen various pictures and reading different information about the University of Birmingham, I found myself engrossed in a search that wasn't just limited to academics but to all the different aspects of the city.

As I was studying an English Studies degree, going to a non English-Speaking country wasn't an option, but the idea of going to London didn't appeal to me due to all the hustle and bustle and the cost associated with living in the capital. For when I discovered, in the wake of my fascination by everything that I had already found out, that Birmingham was the second biggest city in the United Kingdom and that it fitted a lot more to what I wanted from Erasmus, was when I chose it as my Erasmus destination.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

With the option of studying for one semester or the whole academic year in Birmingham, I chose to spend the full year there as I felt like if I only spent a semester there, I'd have to go back to Spain when I'd only just got used to the lifestyle and the University of Birmingham.

In terms of the grant, I received around 700 euros a month from a combination of different sources (European Union, Ministry of Education and the Andalusian Council) which was enough to live on in England considering the exchange rate, although there wasn't enough to save up for anything.

What is the student lifestyle like in Birmingham?

As you can imagine, with Birmingham being the second biggest city in the UK, it is one of the most popular destinations for Erasmus students. Therefore, it's not strange to meet as many foreign students in the university as well as in the rest of the city, such as on a multitude of events and trips (some of which are organised by Erasmus students, and some by the university on behalf of the students) which, sometimes, have a reduced price or are completely free.

In terms of student areas, Selly Oak is an excellent student area as it is quite nearby to the University of Birmingham and because it is not ridiculously expensive in terms of rent and the places that are nearby.

Selly Oak. Source

Would you recommend the city and the University of Birmingham to other students?

Of course! The city itself is brilliant in many respects, although personally, I loved the different views and the architecture (most of the buildings are quite new and modern) and in terms of culture and customs they are very inclusive, which is well reflected by the co-habitation and harmony which exists between people from different nationalities and ethnicities throughout the year with various celebrations and events.

The university has a huge range of course choices, which are attached to different degree subjects, so you can choose between those which ones to sign yourselves up to at the beginning of the year. Also, throughout the year, they also offer extra activities such as workshops, lectures, chats, seminars amongst others which you can sign yourself up for and attend to gain extra knowledge about the subjects that you study, or simply because they interest you and you'd like to learn something new.

What is the food like there?

One thing that is certain is the United Kingdom is a multicultural country as much as they come, you can't say they have their own food further from the typical English breakfast, fish and chips and the different snacks that you can find in any supermarket.

For those who don't have much time to cook, don't worry! In the supermarkets, you can also find lots of microwave meals and deals (where you buy a series of products together and you save part of what it would have cost you to buy each product individually).

Saying that, if you are looking to discover new flavours, go to the Indian area as due to the huge diversity of nationalities living in Birmingham, there are restaurants that suit everyone's taste and the supermarkets usually have a big range of international food too: Brazilian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Pakistani, Romanian and much more!

Was it difficult to find your accommodation in Birmingham?

Before leaving Spain, I made a few appointments to view different rooms that I had seen were available on the internet, on websites such as Gumtree and Spareroom, so for the first days, I decided to stay in a hotel until I found something I was happy with.

In the end, I went to an agency (Purple Frog, free for students) as I wasn't convinced by any of the rooms that I had seen, and once there, I told the agent what I was looking for, what I could afford per month on rent, and what area I'd like to live in... and in just over an hour I was signing for what was going to be my future house for a year and we did all the paperwork.

How much does it cost to live in Birmingham?

Living in the United Kingdom isn't cheap, as the quality of life is a lot higher than what we are used to in Spain: renting a room rounds up to around 450 euros (bills and internet included) and to live here it is around 200 to 250 euros (food, free times, etc), so the amount of grant we receive is fair for the amount we spend here.

Also, it's true that for being an accredited student you'll receive discounts on most of the cultural attractions which you have to pay for, or even get to enter some for free. Be clever and make the most of all the discounts, including the official websites about the area that offer weekly or monthly discounts on some of their products!

In terms of transport, Birmingham is really well connected via train and it is easy to save money if you get hold of the 16-25 Railcard (£30 for a year) with which you save a third on all the train tickets that you buy. And if you want to travel during your stay, don't worry because the coach companies MegaBus and National Express can take you to (almost) any city in the United Kingdom for very reasonable prices: starting from £1!

16-25 Railcard. Source

I just want to remind you that the first few months you will not have the grant money, so you will have to use your own savings and should take advantage of any kind of discount you come across.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the university?

The language wasn't a problem as I was studying an English Studies degree and I had a good understanding in all of the language components, so I didn't do a course, but yes it is true that the university itself offered a series of English courses before the start of the academic year for whichever students were in need of them.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Birmingham from your city?

The cheapest way is to go from Granada to Malaga, then get a plane from Malaga to one of the London airports, and from there go to Birmingham by coach.

You can also fly directly from Granada to Birmingham but these flights are quite a lot more expensive than those from my previous suggestion.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Birmingham?

Birmingham has a fairly lively nightlife and it is full of both pubs and students, so if you want to relax and have a chilled pint with friends, I'd recommend any of these as the price and atmosphere doesn't vary much from one to another.

If you prefer partying and clubs, the usual thing is to start with "house parties" where you have a drink at home with friends, classmates, or simply people that you know. Afterwards, people usually go to Broad Street which is where most of the city's clubs are situated with a big variety of music: hard, rock, techno, electronic, latina...

Every Tuesday the university campus has it's Student Tuesdays' where you can find the same type of night that you can find in other clubs, with the added bonus that you will probably find and be with your classmates and lots of Erasmus students.

Is it good to eat out in Brimignahm? What are some of your favourite places to go?

There are so many places that are worthwhile visiting all over the city, but I had to choose out of all those, I'd choose Joe's Bar and Wing Wah Chinese Restaurant.

Joe's bar is a bar which is on-campus where you can go just to have a drink or you can also eat there. The best thing? The convenience of having it so close to the other services in the uni and that the prices are a lot more affordable compared to other local bars. Also, there's the fact that students at the university work there, so you you will probably spend a decent amount of time there, and the Joe's Plus Card gives you discounts and you can get 2 for 1 on pizzas from Monday to Friday.

"Joe's Bar". Source

The first time that I went to Wing Wah Chinese Restaurant was for a university event and after, without hesitation, I went back repeatedly. It is an enormous self-serve buffet with a huge amount of Asian cuisine that is all prepared fresh and you can even ask that they make it in front of you (certain meats and fishes) and with an incredible selection of desserts, from which the chocolate fountain and the different are-creams really stand out. What else could you ask for?

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

The whole of Birmingham is worth visiting, starting from Old Joe, the big clock that crowns the campus, which served as inspiration for the Eye of Sauron in the Lord of the Rings.

"Bullring". Source

More towards the centre of the city, you will find the Bullring and its representative bull before going in. It is a big shopping centre where you can find shops and restaurants for every taste. However, if you are looking for something more chilled, you have to go to see the library, as the city is lucky enough not only to have the biggest library in the United Kingdom but in the whole of Europe.

Birmingham library. Source

If you have time, you have to visit Cadbury World which is a museum of the very well known British chocolate company Cadbury, and try some of their chocolates, like Freddos. They're soooo good.

Then there are other places that you should visit, like the different markets (for nothing in the world should you miss the Christmas market in the Bullring! ) and canals that make the city even more attractive.

What advice would you give future students heading to Birmingham?

The first thing is to try to get rid of all the paperwork that you have to do for your university and for Birmingham as soon as possible, because although it seems like the deadlines are very far away, the time passes quickly and filling them out is usually slow, long, and usually a bit stressful for the time that it takes to fill them out and finally send them off.

Another piece of advice, that although it might seem obvious sometimes you'll forget, to avoid going around with lots of people who share your nationality, because if you do this, you are going to end up speaking in your mother tongue, and although at the start this is welcome, after time you will regret not having taken advantage of the opportunity to get better and speak more English. I'm telling you this from my own experience!

To finish, among all of the advice that I could give you, I want to emphasize again that you make the most of the opportunity to speak as much English as you can, to get to know new people from different corners of the world, as it is very easy to do in this city and to discover the marvels within the city of Birmingham.