Haodi Xu

Haodi Xu is a partner student who joined the University of Southampton in 2021 as part of the study abroad programme with Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE).

I would recommend studying at Southampton. Studying in a different country is an unforgettable experience in one’s twenties. Embracing the world, learning different things and exploring my true self has always been my belief.

• What course did you study, and what did you like most about it?

I studied Accounting and Finance here. Basically, my courses are second and third-year modules. I found the courses here are more focused on self-study. On the course manual, self-study is allocated a great portion of the overall learning time. One of my modules, which is Portfolio Theory and Financial Markets, has tons of extra reading to do. This module contains many contents and is very comprehensive. I think it was a little bit challenging at first, but the mid and final exams are more general questions which are easy to follow. I also selected modules that require essay writing which was a good chance to write freely about a topic and think out of the box.

• Why did you choose the University of Southampton over other international options?

I preferred schools in the UK and North America because it would be easier to fit in and feel connected as an international student. Being in an English-speaking environment helps improve my spoken English and skills to communicate. Another consideration is of course the tuition fee. Generally speaking, living expenses and tuition fees in the non-London area might be lower. Also, My home university is a partner school with UoS. UoS has a good QS world university ranking which is kinda important for students who major in business subjects. 

• Are there any challenges you faced while studying and living in the UK? 

I think the most challenging thing is the feeling of loneliness. I am the only student from my home university this year to study here, so definitely I would stumble into loneliness and homesickness. I think this is something normal and inevitable. I was lucky coz my roomies are very nice people and we became close friends. I’ve been to several European countries before so the culture thing does not bother me much. I adapted very quickly and the year has been very smooth and lovely for me.

• Was there anything unexpected about living in the UK? Were there any challenges or surprises you faced?

Actually nothing unexpected. The only thing that sometimes causes inconvenience is that there might be railway strikes or other kinds of strikes going on. Travel plans might be totally changed because of that. I was once in Edinburgh and my train journey was cancelled all of a sudden. In this situation, I needed to figure out how to rearrange my travel plans and hop into another train so that I would not miss my following train to transfer.

• Were there any pleasant surprises?

People I met here are pleasant surprises for me. When I first came here, I thought it might take time to make new friends. But it turned out that everyone was so helpful and nice to me. I travelled a lot with my roomies here. Travelling by train in the UK is something very interesting to me. I met strangers during my trip and it was nice to talk with someone seated next to me. Once I met a third year English student who majors in modern history. He was curious about the historical events that happened during the Qing dynasty of China. I think this was a meaningful encounter and I felt his passion for modern history which was very touching.

• Do you have any advice for students before they arrive or when they first arrive in the UK? What tips would you give to other international students planning to study at the University of Southampton?

My advice is that they need to schedule things earlier. In the UK, everything needs to make an appointment which means lots of waiting time. Especially registration with the police after arriving in the UK is hard to find an available time slot. And of course the application of EU visas.Another thing is that there is no need to bring many things to the UK. Basically everything can be bought here and prices are about the same compared with metropolises like Toronto or Shanghai etc, though the prices are going up these days in the UK.

• How did the University of Southampton and the International Office help in enhancing your study experience in the UK?

The overall experience is good. At the beginning of the semester, I was not registered so I sent emails to the international office. Everyone was helpful and solved my problems quickly. I can find everything I need on the website and I often contacted the student hub when I ran into problems during the year. I think I can find all the supporting very efficiently and staff are all very patient and helpful.  

• Did you join any communities or social clubs? What do you recommend?

It’s a pity that I didn’t join any. I was late getting registered. But later I did go to some activities in the Faith and Reflection Centre. It was nice to meet new people and experience the atmosphere there. Most activities held in the Faith and Reflection Centre are about religions. I once popped in and spent a meaningful night taking part in an activity about Christianity. I used to go to church with my mom in my childhood, but I am still waiting for my calling. It was nice to have a chat with students about this topic and of course I love the pizza and drinks!

• To make it a true international experience, we encourage students to make friends with fellow students from many different backgrounds and nationalities. Tell us about a time you went out of your comfort zone and made friends with other nationalities?

I had a roommate from London in a short term. She’s very sweet and outgoing and I have a good impression of her. We often chat in the kitchen. I also met different people on different occasions like activities in Faith and Reflection Centre, lunchtime in the dining hall and also in Pret a Manger and Costa. I think there are always chances in the daily life though it is indeed sort of out of comfort zone to make friends with different backgrounds and nationalities. 

• Would you recommend studying at Southampton to other potential international students?

Surely I would recommend studying at Southampton. Studying in a different country is an unforgettable experience in one’s twenties. Embracing the world, learning different things and exploring my true self has always been my belief. And I think students who choose to study overboard also hold the same belief as mine.