Oliver Bulcock graduated with a BA in Geography. He spent a term studying in Amsterdam, travelled to Malaysia with the university and to New York on his course. He now works with students helping to arrange their global experiences

I studied abroad for the first term of my third year in Amsterdam. It was fantastic. It was such a freeing experience.

The whole study abroad experience has made me a much more confident person - when you’re in a new country, you have to ask questions. The study abroad experience honestly changed my outlook on everything, I went after lots more opportunities in my work and personal life.

One of the best experiences was cycling for half-a-day to a beautiful town where we saw the windmills and traditional Dutch life. I went with two other international students, and now we’re really great friends. I never considered biking around, but this was really nice, with great weather and company.

One big difference between here and Amsterdam, is that the Dutch students are so confident about speaking out in lectures. That gave me the confidence to do the same, both when I was there and when I came back. It’s made me more comfortable engaging with my peers and I’m more forthright with my opinions. By studying abroad you gain so many new skills; you get an international network of friends; you get a new experience that you can compare and contrast to your experience here. You might worry about things, missing your friends, your course but it really wasn’t an issue.

After my trips, I went on to work as a Global Experience Events Coordinator which meant I lead a global experiences trip to Malaysia, now, after graduating, I still work with the University to help students arrange their own global experiences.