Hi there!
I am currently studying abroad in London under LC’s England: Fine Arts program, and I’m so excited to be able to share with all of you the wonderful adventures that I get up to while abroad. Check out some of my other blogs to learn more about the program, the logistics of going abroad, and life as a study abroad student!
While life on campus trudges through spring snowstorms, papers, and projects, my time here in London is almost finished. Tomorrow will be my last exam for my last class, and my professor has plans to take us all out to a pub at the end of the exam period. The things you can do when everyone at university age is legally allowed to drink.
It’s truly been an incredible fifteen weeks. The past few weeks I haven’t been blogging as much because my life has been truly insane. I was in Italy for my last blog, then I came down with a nasty cold, then I was in Scotland for a weekend (while still fighting off said cold), and by the next weekend I was in Paris for a few days. On top of this, I had to turn in almost all of my important term papers and projects. It was very hectic and very challenging, but that is what study abroad is like. It’s about trying to experience everything you can in an amazing new place, while also being a student and learning as much as you can. While it can be difficult at times, I think the experience is more than worth it.
As my time is coming to an end, I just want to share with you all a few things I’ve learned while on this program.
If you ever travel to London, be careful when crossing the street! These drivers are so aggressive and they do not stop for pedestrians. Also, do not try to order a London Fog. They will laugh at you.
Pack light! You will buy things on your study abroad, and as hard as it is to pack for a semester’s worth of weather, it’s much sadder to have to get rid of things at the end of the year or pay an arm and a leg for shipping. If you’re like me and you plan on traveling after your study abroad, make sure you have a plan of what to do with your semester things. I personally ended up shipping my suitcases home because I didn’t want to deal with some kind of storage situation or having to lug my bags all over Europe with me, but it was certainly expensive.
Stay on top of, or even ahead of your coursework. As difficult and boring as it sounds, the UK education system in particular is a lot more hands-off than the US system, and sometimes an assignment will be assigned on the syllabus and never spoken about in class. Also, as much as it will be painful to stay in studying while you’re in such a cool place, it’s much better to get things done early. One of my friends had to bring his work with him to Paris, and it made the entire experience much more stressful because he left it to the last minute. Do it early so you can better enjoy the end of your program.
Take day trips! Especially if you end up in a place with good public transportation between cities, this is a great way to explore and learn more about where you’re living. Some of my best experiences were when I simply bought a train ticket for a place that seemed cool and spent the day there.
And lastly, just study abroad. If you’re considering it but are on the fence, just do it. It’s incredible and so much fun, and definitely a life changing experience. Lewis and Clark makes it so easy to incorporate study abroad into your schedule and I cannot recommend it enough.
