My name is Grace Davies and I am a junior studying Global Management with a minor in Political Science. I originally started college at Pitt as a political science major but switched to the business school in my second semester to open up more potential career paths. I chose Global Management because I love traveling and interacting with new cultures and people. At Pitt, I also work for the Athletic Department as a social media intern which has shown me a career path in social media marketing that I would love to try.

I am currently studying abroad in London on the Global Business Institute program with Pitt Business. I am taking three classes and completing a part-time internship with a small football club. I chose to do a GBI program because it gives me the opportunity to complete my major courses while abroad and allows my credits to transfer easily. More specifically, I picked London because I thrive in big cities. Living in Pittsburgh has shown me that I love living in a fast-paced environment where everything is just a short walk away. While London is much bigger than Pittsburgh, it has been a relatively easy transition since I am used to city living. Additionally, choosing London meant I wouldn’t face a language barrier and that definitely eased my stresses when preparing for this trip.

One of my goals for this semester is to enjoy my courses and the material that I am learning. Since two of the three courses are for my major, I want to fully understand the material and how it can help me in my future career. I am also excited about my Detective Fiction class because that is my favorite genre to read. For this class, I will be reading multiple different classics in the detective fiction genre, and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to slow down my day by reading often. Another goal of mine this semester is to explore lots of unique areas throughout London. While I am excited to travel to other countries throughout Europe, I want to get to know all the different parts and neighborhoods of London so that I feel like I truly know the city by the time I go back to the U.S.

While in London, I am living in Whitechapel, a neighborhood that is right next to the downtown City of London. I am in an apartment with 6 other girls who are all from different universities across the U.S. I have never lived with that many people so I had to adjust to the limited space and shared rooms. Our apartment is in a convenient location with lots of restaurants and stores nearby and multiple Tube stations which makes it easy to get around the city. For classes, I go to the CAPA center, a Global Education Network, that runs multiple study abroad programs for universities in the U.S. My classes meet once a week for 3 hours each, and often times, we take field trips to different locations in London to get a more immersive learning experience. Studying in London has been an amazing experience so far, and I am very grateful that I have this opportunity. I’m eager to see what this semester will bring!