Now that my time in London is ending, I can reflect on the past 4 months abroad. Studying abroad was something that I had always dreamt about and knew that it was something I wanted to partake in during my 4 years of college. Neither of my parents studied abroad, and they had always told me that it was their biggest regret during their college experience. I am so incredibly grateful that I have been able to take the time as I am young to travel and experience a whole new culture, all while bettering my academic knowledge.
Every week of my time abroad was filled with many hands-on classroom activities, internship experiences, and travels all over the world. The three classes I took while in London were Managing Global Supply Chains, Writing the City: London, and Advertising and Marketing. My classes allowed me to discover and learn how each topic was different in a new country. We had in-class field trips where we could see the importance of advertising, history, and sustainable supply chains in London. Something I particularly enjoyed about my advertising class was how we had to create an advert proposal/ campaign for KFC focused on the UK market. This allowed me to be creative and see all the little parts that go into campaigns for larger companies. This also opened up the doors to a completely new career interest for me. I found this process to be so interesting, and I think it may be something I would like to do after graduating. Another thing that I made sure to prioritize while I was studying abroad was to explore as much of the UK and Europe as I could. With my roommates, we visited more than 10 different places, which, looking back on is so crazy. My two most favorite places we visited were Switzerland and Amsterdam. They were both so beautiful that they almost looked fake. It is such a surreal experience to see places that I’ve always seen online or in books in real life. We filled every moment with something, and I could not be more proud of how we went about our experience.
Through studying abroad, I met so many new people, some of whom went to Pitt and others that don’t. It was so amazing to meet people from all different backgrounds and hear their experiences at their colleges and see how they were different from mine. With the friends that I made that do go to Pitt, I am so excited to get back to campus in the fall and see them again and be able to reflect on our time abroad. But now, reflecting on my own, I have learned so much about myself and the world around me. I learned that it is so important to try new things and experience things that you may never get to again, even if it is out of your comfort zone. There were so many times when we had no plans for when we would travel somewhere new, and we would have to ask for help or get creative, which is something that I never experienced when it came to traveling. I also had the opportunity to better my time management while abroad. There are so many things to do in see, but I had to remember why I was there: to take classes and work hard in my internship. This was incredibly hard at times because, of course, I wanted to spend my time exploring somewhere or something new. I had to learn to prioritize both and do well in both, which I believe I did.
Everything that I learned while abroad can be applied to my life back at Pitt, from forming relationships to navigating courses, so it’s quite hard to pick certain traits. But the one thing that I learned that will stick with me the most is that the world is so much bigger than just your world and how much of an impact each person makes on this larger world. I am so appreciative of this experience and how it has changed me as a student and as a person. I will forever look back on this time abroad as some of the best 4 months of my life where I got to learn so much, meet some of my best friends, and become a better version of myself. Thank you, London!!!!