Checking in from the UK! After three weeks of living here and two weeks of classes, I am starting to feel like a real Londoner. I have finally perfected my commute on the tube to school, and am enjoying my classes and loving exploring London in my free time.
While I am not participating in an internship, the courses I’m taking offer immersive experiences that get me out of the classroom and into the city. This is something I really value about the learning environment here because it adds so much depth to a global education. My class schedule also allows for a lot of time to personally immerse myself in the culture. The courses I am taking are as follows: Creative Connections: Advertising and Marketing in Britain, Writing the City: London, International Marketing, and Analyzing and Exploring the Global City: London. I have taken similar classes to these at Pitt, however all of these classes focus heavily on British culture and make connections between the US and UK. This focus presents me with a new perspective on familiar topics, which allows me to expand my understanding and appreciation of these topics.
A few differences between the classroom structure here and at Pitt are the class size and class length. All of my classes here only have about 20 students in them, while I am used to lectures with about 200 people at Pitt. Additionally, my classes here run once a week for 3 hours and 15 minutes. At Pitt the majority of my classes run twice a week for 1 hour and 15 minutes. This difference in class length is significant and I certainly felt that the first week. It is still something I am adjusting to, but I’m learning to appreciate the differences. Because of the small class size my classes are much more engaging and participation focused, which helps the time go by faster. Another difference is the structure of my assignments. All of my assignments here are either writing pieces or presentations. At Pitt I am used to more exam based classes; I’m not sure which one I prefer yet.
I can’t speak too much on the dynamics of academic culture in the UK compared to the US because I take all my classes with other US students and our program is catered to the US academic structure. However, one of my professors commented on how punctual American students are compared to British students he teaches, which I found funny. Speaking of time, time management is probably the most important skill needed to be successful in this academic environment. Essentially, I need to make time for the “study” part of study abroad. I have been doing well with this so far and don’t think it will be too difficult going forward either. I have already learned so much both inside the classroom and outside on my own; I’m excited to see where the rest of the semester takes me! Cheers!
Here are some photos of me on my program’s day trip to Stonehenge and Bath last week! It was so cool and I learned so much!