I hate my year abroad

I have no idea, this is what I asked them in a meeting and they just said "I don't know how you want me to respond to that".

Why did they send you to somewhere they knew was bad?

What a terrible and immature response.

Do you relise your comment could tip somebody over the edge? If you have nothing motivational or even kind to say, move on without replying.

For the record, i won't be personally getting in to a online war of words with you, as i am far too professional and mature for that.

To the person asking for advice-give it a few nore weeks, everything takes time to adapt too. Use positive body language ie smiling, open kind gentures-these can make even the meanest people change there concept of you. Finally, if after this time you are still not happy to the point it affects your mental wellbeing-then go back home and build yourself back up to go again. Dragging yourself down mentally will only result in a negative outcome.

I don't think the word "bad" is appropriate. University in Spain, France and Italy is completely different to the U.K.Little value is placed on the social side. Because home students pay very little, if anything at all in the way of fees, the infrastructure is very basic. Mental health is not considered to be a problem addressed by the universities but by the families, as most students study from home and commute. I'm surprised that no one warned you, and that last year's cohort didn't speak about their experiences.

Your explanation hits the nail on the head I think. I was not warned at all about just how different it would be. The most we got was something along the lines of the way of life is different and there will be some culture shock but you will be fine. As I have been going to Spain my whole life for holidays, I was expecting it to be how my holidays were, but it became clear quite quickly that this isn't the case.

The students we spoke to just said it was amazing, it's a great opportunity and the beaches are fun, etc, and I never got anything other than this. I feel like if we were actually explained the severity of the cultural difference and the difference in the quality of education, I would have reconsidered my choice of coming here.

Hopefully my experience helps other people who are looking to go abroad to understand that the differences aren't minimal, as I thought they would be, but they are extortionate and should be investigated before making the choice to go.

My plan is to do it for as long as I can cope with it. My exams for the first semester are in Jan, so I will do those and re-evaluate my situation then depending on how my exams go. I want to do the whole year so that I can say I gave it a go and tried, but I am not sure if it is worth the feeling I have

If you're really struggling, it's not worth staying a year. Waiting until you've finished your Jan exams is a good plan 👍🏻
Your university needs to realise it can't keep sending students to the partner uni because of low satisfaction.

It's not a question of not sending students to universities with low satisfaction, it's sending students to universities abroad without adequate preparation. Apart from schools in the Netherlands, most of the other European state run universities have a complex different approach to the U.K. Students are their to learn and the social aspect is a very minor consideration, in some cases even badly seen as it detracts from the seriousness of the academic reputation in their point of view.
So in order for exchange programs to work the students need to appreciate the difference before accepting a year abroad, or if not choose to study outside of Europe but with significantly higher costs.

In order for them to "appreciate the difference", they need to be informed by their home university about what it's really like to study abroad. Or they could be given the opportunity to look at reviews from past international students there.
The OP and others in her year abroad were misled to think that studying abroad at that university was a good option. Not to mention that neither universities couldn't care less about students' mental wellbeing.

- The workload is insanely large in comparison to the UK so I feel like I have no time for myself - if I am not studying/completing an assignment I feel like I am procrastinating and wasting time

this comment i find hilarious. You are actually getting value for your buck. im a language student, i got like 3 hours a week of language study. In china (granted online) i get 20.

You are literally complaining that you get relative contact hours to what you pay. It honestly surprises me how many people on here are willing to be ripped off as long as the work load is easy. I would argue the work load you are getting is how it should be in the UK.

Also be grateful you got to go abroad. All of the students studying chinese/Japanese last year, this year and looking quite likely next year haven't and wont be going.

Of course there should be adequate workload but not to the point the OP doesn't feel they have time for themselves

Of course there should be adequate workload but not to the point the OP doesn't feel they have time for themselves

because they are used to the absolutely appalling cost to service ratio of the modern uk universities.

Living in Europe with children at uni here, I can tell you that the students have very little time for social activities if they are following a traditional subject outside of the arts. It's just not the same objective.

It isn't the same student experience at every university though. Oxford and Cambridge are known for setting very high workloads for their students, which is okay because they are of that academic calibre to handle it. In OP's case, having a suddenly increased workload can feel overwhelming.

It isn't the same student experience at every university though. Oxford and Cambridge are known for setting very high workloads for their students, which is okay because they are of that academic calibre to handle it. In OP's case, having a suddenly increased workload can feel overwhelming.

I completely understand what you are getting at and can imagine that O.P can feel overwhelmed, but that isn't the fault of the welcoming institution. Her own university should have been clearer about the situation before allowing or encouraging students to attend these universities.

I completely understand what you are getting at and can imagine that O.P can feel overwhelmed, but that isn't the fault of the welcoming institution. Her own university should have been clearer about the situation before allowing or encouraging students to attend these universities.