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I had visited Iceland previously as part of a summer field excursion in sixth form, and from that point I was to determined to return. As a keen geologist, Iceland’s active and dynamic landscape was hugely interesting to me, so when the opportunity came up to study in Reykjavík at the University of Iceland for a year, I jumped at the chance.

Living in Reykjavík

I flew out to Iceland a week before the semester began in August to sort out paperwork and get settled. I initially lived in a basement apartment just outside of downtown Reykjavík, before being offered the cheapest (small and very basic) student accommodation on campus.

Many people go to different countries to live and experience a so-called “culture shock”, but in Iceland it was more of a “culture pleasant surprise”: Icelanders are such nice, easy-going people, and are much more relaxed and chilled out than your average Brit, at least from my experience.

Everyone speaks English, and they are very welcoming to internationals living in Iceland, though they’re not so keen on the growing number of tourists in their country. The only shock was the price of everything: £8 for a pint – you’ve got to be joking! In fairness if you know where to go for shopping and essentials it isn’t too bad.

One thing that definitely needs to be addressed – the weather. If you’re someone that thinks British winters are bad you have no idea what an Icelandic winter feels like. Iceland is the third windiest place on Earth, but the first and second places are uninhabited!

At first the snow was exciting but by February, bearing in mind that it had been snowing since November and temperatures hadn’t got above freezing, the excitement was wearing thin. Even when I left the country in mid-May, the temperature was rarely into double figures: we even had snow at the start of May!

The fact that there are only 4/5 hours of daylight each day between mid-November and mid-January is also rather weird, and conversely the 19/20 hours of daylight from mid-May to mid-July is just as weird!

Háskóli íslands – The University of Iceland

Campus was slightly larger than Lancaster's with a mix of older and new buildings. It was a 5 to 10-minute walk from downtown town Reykjavik, depending on whether the lake was frozen or not, as you had to walk around it in summer but could walk over it in winter!

Although the view from campus was stunning, it didn’t really have the same vibe or atmosphere as Lancaster – not much exciting ever happened, and there weren’t many social spaces where people could get together and hang out. There was a small student bar which served some of the cheapest food and drink in Reykjavík, but again it didn’t really have a party atmosphere.

Academic study

My degree scheme in Lancaster is Earth & Environmental Science, whereas in Iceland I was studying a BSc in Geology, which I was hugely excited about. In Lancaster there is more focus on in-class practical work through seminars and lab-work while Iceland has a greater focus on fieldwork, which makes sense as so much is literally on their doorstep – the nearest volcano is only a 2-hour drive from Reykjavík, and the nearest glacier is only a bit further on.

The only other difference I picked up on was that the coursework element of the modules I took were nearly always assessed through group projects, which I personally don’t like as I would prefer to be assessed on my own academic ability, not how well I work with others or how well others work with me.

Getting out and about

There were two week-long field excursions around South Iceland, visiting volcanoes, glaciers, outwash plains, waterfalls, geysers, and other geological landscapes and features. These trips, led by an academic, reinforced everything that we had learnt during the module in the classroom.

My family visited twice, and we toured Reykjavík and South Iceland, mainly visiting the more touristy locations. I also went hiking with a group of friends to the highest waterfall in Iceland (256 metres high) and went snorkelling in a 60-metre deep fault between the tectonic plates at Thingvellir National Park, full of groundwater at a frosty 2oC! Other friends and people on my course did much more travelling than I did, but I was very limited by being too young to hire a car.

Overall, I had one of the best years of my life in a country which I still adore. I now hope to return there after I graduate and complete a 2-year masters programme in volcanology, and don’t doubt I’ll have plenty more adventures if and when I return once more.

 

Learn more about opportunities to Study Abroad as part of a Lancaster Environment Centre degree.