Mobility specification

Country:United Kingdom

Institution:Queen's University Belfast

City:Belfast

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2025/2026

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Social Studies / Department of Psychology

Study level abroad:Master

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?it's alright

Are your credits converted?yes

Can you give an example?I honestly don't know how to answer exactly - they de facto recalculate, as the credit system in the UK is different from ours, they don't use ECTS. But it's not that courses taken at QUB are less valuable for MU, they just stick to the norm that a student at MU gets 10 ECTS for completing their 20-credit course.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?I was surprised how easy it was to study at QUB. I only had three courses, each with 10 ECTS transferred in, but the requirements for completing each course were equivalent to the courses we get about 2 credits for in our department. Within each subject I had an assignment that could be successfully completed in one or two days. Although all courses included a lot of "required" literature, no one completely checked to see if anyone had actually read the literature, and reading was not necessary (or extra helpful) to complete the courses. All the courses I took were with local students, so they were not in any way geared for exchange students, and most of the teachers actually only strongly recommended the required literature, saying that after all, students pay a lot of money for their studies and to get something out of it, they should read the literature. However, as I said before, the actual reading knowledge was not checked. This surprised me a lot as I had assumed that UK education was very prestigious and studying in Belfast would be a real challenge, but my experience rather convinced me otherwise.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Orientation week, clubs and student events

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Psychological counseling
Barrier-free access to classrooms and dormitories
Support for LGBTQ+ students (e.g., safe spaces, counseling services)
I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:40000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?I expected the food to be cheaper.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?Try to arrange with your floor mates to share dishes - then you don't have to buy everything yourself. I would also recommend getting a mini clothes rack, washing in the washing machine and drying in the dryer is really expensive, plus dryers don't always dry. I haven't used it, but the university has a "pantry" where you can come in I think once a week and pick up basic ingredients like pasta, rice and stuff like that for free, but it's limited and I don't have direct experience, so I can't tell how well it works.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Translink mlink and translink planner - public transport in Northern Ireland is much better than in Ireland, at least in Dublin
for regional buses you have to buy a ticket from the driver, otherwise it's via the app.
I also recommend, if you are under 23, to get a Ylink card https://www.translink.co.uk/tickets/travelcards/ylink

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Peace walls, titanic quarter, cave hill, botanic gardens
Evenings: Ulster Sports Club, Laverys, Union Bar, Kellys Cellars
Clubs: Boombox, Limelight

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Kinbane Castle, Mourne Mountains, Glenariff, Giants Causeway, Castle Rock (Mussenden Temple), Portrush, County Donegal, Derry, Blackhead Lighthouse

Share your best experience:It's hard to pick just one, but my favourite days are those spent at Malin Head. My friends and I decided to go to Ireland for a long weekend, the day after we arrived we went on a day trek along the coast - I can generally recommend any coastline in the north of Ireland, it is absolutely breathtaking. Late afternoon, when the weather turned a little worse, we spent the afternoon in the most northerly bar in Ireland, where the whole village gathered to watch a rugby match. We stopped for another dip in the sea before returning to the cottage. A beautiful day full of great people and awesome experiences.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?The airport is quite far from the city, but there are regular buses. I might fly to Dublin next time and then take the bus to Belfast, I think it's cheaper. Anyway, if you fly anywhere from Dublin, I'd recommend buying airport bus tickets from Translink, they're much cheaper than Aircoach and other companies.

Can you pay by card?in most places

What not to forget when packing?A waterproof jacket and sturdy boots suitable for hiking, an umbrella is almost useless in the wind.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?I will be drawing from my trip for a long time to come. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.