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How can an exchange to the UK broaden your horizons? For Jaxon, the plethora of experiences he gained studying abroad opened his eyes to new perspectives, which he hopes to utilise when he enters a full-time career in financial planning.
Before applying for an outbound exchange, Jaxon initially wanted to go on a work ski trip to Canada. But after realising that the timeline didn’t align with the uni semester, he pivoted to the possibility of studying abroad. With his partner, they decided the UK would be perfect.
“I’ve got family from England, and she has an English passport, so that’s how that came about. It was perfect.”
When Jaxon arrived in the UK, he had a shockingly good first impression.
“I actually got really lucky because it was 20 degrees and sunny. Walking around London, I was sweating. I was like, ‘This isn’t what I was told England was like.’”
The following week, when Jaxon started at Loughborough Uni, he was surprised at the assessment structure compared to Curtin.
“It was really weird because all of my assessments over there were just one assessment for the whole unit. Whereas here, they split it into three. It started a lot more stressful… but once I asked the questions and got to work it was smooth.’
Jaxon also found the lifestyle of local students at Loughborough to be very different from Perth, mainly because most students live on campus.
“Living in Perth, I live an hour away from campus, and that’s normal. Whereas in England, you’d live on campus, you’d walk, you wouldn’t even have a car. But it was really good, because walking from the house I was staying at to anything I needed was 10 to 15 minutes.”
The support he received from staff members within GoGlobal and within his major during Jaxon’s path to an exchange was a huge help, ensuring he chose the correct units to study while he was over in the UK and providing any other support required.
But his exchange wasn’t without its challenges, especially financial.
“When you’re abroad, you want to be able to go see the rest of the world and travel, but with that comes money. There were scholarships and government assistance available. And then I think just a matter of being prepared before you go, so saving up as much as you can.”
Despite this, Jaxon wanted to make the most out of his time over in Europe and travelled extensively.
“I did Estonia, Italy, I did all the Christmas markets over Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and then I also did a road trip in the south of England through Wales to Scotland.”
While Jaxon was on exchange, he initially faced some challenges balancing study, travel, and other commitments. But, after taking some time to prepare for his coming semester at a different university, he found balancing his new lifestyle much easier.
“I found when I was abroad, you just kind of want to move, travel and go see things. So, it is a fair balance, but I’d say preparation is what helped me over there.”
Something Jaxon has learned after living in the UK is not to listen to everything social media tells you, and not to form expectations too early.
“Before I went over, I would hear so much about the political landscape of England, or how people are living, how unsafe things are. But, I felt safer in London than I did taking the train into Perth, and it was a lot more tame.”
For other students considering an exchange, especially for those worried about how it may affect their career prospects, Jaxon wholeheartedly recommends it.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of students recently, and they keep saying how they don’t want to do it because they’re focusing on their career. But, whenever we go to a networking event, all they hear from the people at the top of the career is how they wish they had gone on an exchange.”
Before he went on exchange, Jaxon also felt he was behind on everything, whether it was his career or his life goals. But studying abroad proved him wrong.
“I got to travel the world essentially for free, and study abroad. I’ve had a lot more experiences taking the slow path that I otherwise wouldn’t have if I were trying to rush through.”
Jaxon’s exchange has solidified his desire to give back to the world and the community after he graduates, providing global financial literacy to “as many people as possible.”
