By: Rylee Britton

It is currently the end of October, and I never thought I would say this, but I am gearing up for Halloween while trying to keep myself warm.

I am halfway through my time at Stirling University, and to say that I am enjoying myself is an understatement. Everything in regards to student life at Stirling has blown my socks off, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have been placed at the University of Stirling. 

I never understood when people say that this is the best time of their lives because personally, I have never experienced it, but since coming to Stirling, I am so proud and happy to say that this is truly the best time of my life. While sitting here and writing this in the warmth of my flat, I struggle to pinpoint what isn’t amazing about student life at Stirling, from the amount of extracurriculars – from clubs, societies, and sports – to free period products and a community fridge where students can come and get free food. 

During my time here, I have been so incredibly lucky to make a wide range of friends from all over the world. Some close from home, and others from parts of the world that seemed impossible to get to. From my American, Canadian, and Spanish flatmates, to my other fellow Spaniards, to our next-door neighbor, Australia, from exotic Switzerland, and of course, the locals of the United Kingdom. Meeting all these amazing individuals is easily the highlight of my semester, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have a large group of people to fall back on when times get hard.

While a lot of the time it seems like everyone is living their best life abroad, it does get hard; from learning how to juggle classes and more difficulty learning the Scottish accent, but also going into a double winter, where now it gets pitch black at 4:30. This is where I have been more grateful for the amazing sports academy they have over here! Having a gym membership means I get to finger happy when booking different fitness classes, and so far I have booked bootcamp, body combat, Pilates, spin class, and boxing (spin class and boxing are my personal favorites because it is in the dark with disco lights and really good music).

Apart from the obvious highs of having friends and being in a new country, Stirling University is truly its own secret place. Surrounded by mountains and hills, with our own campus loch every day you wake up here and are just amazed at the nature that surrounds the university and what mother nature has to offer us – it really is breathtaking.

While writing this, it does mean that I am halfway through my exchange and it has gone by too fast for my liking and I am not at all ready to depart, signifying the magic that truly comes with being a student at Stirling University.