Hannover, Germany - stressful, bureaucratic, rude, cultured, pretty
 

History with German is a specific case, as the degree programme is structured so that the year abroad counts towards the final mark at the end of our degree. Despite this, and having talked to people who studied at other German universities, the University of Hannover was particularly unhelpful in general and Hannover is generally not a great place to go.  The social scene was ok. There are a few nice bars and clubs - it's not the best place to go if you want a really hard-core party sesh, but there is more to do and see than drink there. It's more of a cultural town than somewhere you can go and let loose in. Think first about what you want to get out of the year. If you want it to help with careers; work. If you want to have a good time/gain teaching experience; teach. If you want to learn more about your academic work; go to uni. Sounds obvious, but it really is so important.

Cadiz, Spain - hot, claustrophobic, traditional, chilled, historic
 

I did not enjoy my time in Cadiz, as I personally felt that the city was too claustrophobic and culturally, being Andalucía, it is quite difficult being female and foreign - it's a male-centric, not very progressive part of Spain. My biggest problems were in getting to grips with the language after being out of practice for a few months, as well as the homesickness, isolation and loneliness I felt living in such a small place. However, although the city is a bit of a maze and Health and Safety seems to be practically non-existent, I felt the new town had a few things to do (cinema, bars, clubs etc). It also pushed me to go visit places outside of Cadiz, and from there it was easy to travel all around Andalucía and visit places such as Seville, Ronda and more - there’s a brilliant train service.

It’s a very beautiful, quiet town and there were not a lot of people my age there, which gave the town less of a student-y vibe. I did feel a bit homesick at first, so after having spoken to some of the teachers about it, I decided to visit my family for the weekend. Once I'd been there for a month or so, the people started opening up (the place I was staying was very closed and people had certain groups of friends so it was difficult to integrate), I had a better time, going for meals and meeting friends for coffee... I had great fun travelling around the island of Menorca, as well as visiting Mallorca and Barcelona on numerous occasions. If you're looking for a good social life, don't go to a small place! I would recommend university study (based on what I've heard from friends) as a good way of making friends and getting involved in social situations. Working as a teaching assistant is fulfilling and good fun, but can be quite boring on the social side of things if you're somewhere small.