In autumn of 2024 I had the opportunity to complete a semester abroad at the University of Lincoln. I was enthusiastic from the very beginning, given that with the UK leaving the European Union meant study exchanges would be much harder to do there, but lo and behold: there were still a couple of Erasmus+ partnerships between TAMK and universities in the UK. But I think it’s only fair to point out, to other people who might be interested to go there, that there is no grant for students – so you have to cover all your expensed by yourself.
Nonetheless, I chose to apply for an exchange there because of many reasons, probably the biggest ones being that I would get to live and experience a culture vastly different from the Finnish one and that I be a student in a new academic environment. I had the University of Lincoln as my top pick mostly because I saw that one of their programmes was an Animation & VFX Bachelor’s, and I really wanted to have a more specialized education in the field.
After many many stressful weeks of emails with various teachers and personnel from both universities (and other stuff I had to plan for my departure), I was finally ready. Once in Lincoln, I was greeted by many student volunteers who helped me find my accommodation. I had decided in the months prior, while looking for a place to live, that it would be amazing to live on campus, in the university’s student housing. Of course, it meant sharing a kitchen with other people I didn’t know, but since I still had my own bedroom and bathroom I couldn’t complain. And the view was not bad either – I could see from my window the town’s greatest cultural and historical monument: the Lincoln Cathedral.
It’s incredibly grand, and being on top of the hill only makes it stand out more; if you wanna reach it, you leave the campus and the city centre and enter the old town, making your way up the Steep hill – a beautiful and, as the name suggests, *steep* street with many kinds of shops and pubs. Although it tends to be pretty crowded, the atmosphere is very inviting, especially if you’re lucky enough to catch a sunny day.
I really did not expect my student apartment to be right next to the city centre. It took me a grand total of 5-10 minutes to walk to class, and from there another 5-10 to be in the old town, and more importantly, in a cozy coffee shop. If you’re someone who enjoys the company of people, then England is great, as people here are very outgoing and polite. It took me by surprise when people randomly make small talk in a store or elevator, but it wasn’t something I disliked.
And lastly, about the courses themselves. I took 2 courses (or modules, as they’re called there) from the Animation programme, and one from the Film & Television Studies programme. The vibes were pretty similar to what I was used to in Finland, especially in the animation courses, with teachers and students having a relatively informal relationship and learning being very hands-on. The other class I took, called European Cinema Now, was much more discussion-based and a bit closer to a traditional lecture. Still, I was impressed with the teaching style and the way we watched films that we analysed by breaking them down. Overall, I was very happy with the courses I enrolled in, although it was a bit of a gamble and I had to really get used to changes such as grading and course structure.
All pictures are owned by me.
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