By Frankie St. Louis, MSc Sport Business & Leadership

As soon as I read online that Loughborough University was the #1 university in the world for sport-related subjects, I knew I had to apply. Coming from Canada, I had never heard of Loughborough before, but I knew I wanted the experience of studying and living abroad. It was a dream of mine to live in London, so when I found out about the Loughborough London campus it was even more perfect!

I didn’t want to get my hopes up because I knew it was #1 in the world, and I was truly shocked when I got in. I accepted the offer the same day it was offered. From that point on the planning began – as a Type A personality I love to plan in advance. However, I soon came to realize that when moving across the ocean, not everything can be done in advance.

I was able to set up my student account, select courses and apply for accommodation while I was still in Canada. And this brought ease to my mind because having a room in a hall of residence meant I one hundred percent had a place to stay for the entire year. Although when I attempted to set up a British bank account and a phone plan from oversees, I was unsuccessful.

Fast forward to my first day arriving in London, the day started smooth. I checked into my residence, I had a “starter kit” there waiting for me with towels, bed sheets, and kitchen supplies, everything was working out! Feeling good, I decided to go to the mall to set up a bank account and get a phone plan. This is where I hit a roadblock.

“You can’t set up a bank account without two documents proving your address, your lease alone does not count” – this is what the banker told me. So, I left and tried to set up a phone plan and the phone store worker told me, “You can’t set up a phone plan without a British bank account”. At this point I was feeling defeated and jet lagged, so I gave up.

I soon found out that Loughborough University can provide an official letter proving your address. This allowed me to set up a bank account, which allowed me to set up a phone plan! It all worked out in the end, I just had to be patient and take it day by day.

After that initial hiccup, life in London has been fantastic! I have joined a hockey club, a local gym with fitness classes, and I have made friends and found community at Loughborough London.

The Loughborough London block-teaching model makes it easy to balance social life, hobbies, school, and work. The block-teaching model means you only have one course at a time for four weeks. This allows you to focus on one subject and one assignment at a time. Compared to undergrad I feel that I am better able to create quality work and absorb more information. It has made the experience relatively low-stress and fun!

Overall moving to a different country is a lot of work and can be scary. But Loughborough has provided plenty of support. The community that you feel on campus is fantastic and it makes you feel at home away from home.