I cannot believe that my time in London has already come to an end. When I first applied to the program, I thought 6 weeks would be enough for me. Having never been out of the country before, I thought I would be grateful for my time but inevitably ready to return home. In the best way possible, this is not the case. I fell in love with the city of London and all that it entails. It is a place I genuinely could see myself living and working in, and this study abroad experience has shown me that it is possible. I’ve had a taste of independent living in a new environment full of culture, interesting people and motivating challenges, and I feel ready to take on whatever comes my way.
I think the greatest soft skill I developed was communication in a corporate setting. My previous job experiences have been more free-lance based and I haven’t had the chance to engage in frequent team calls and navigate a workplace communication platform either. Through my time working for my internship, I was able to identify which questions required immediate attention through a phone call, or were less time-sensitive through an email or Workplace message. I noticed that regardless of the method chosen, timeliness in responses was crucial and appreciated: something I will certainly seek to continue in my professional career. My organization of files and even my laptop set-up benefited from experience, as I quickly had to search for previous work or join meetings when at work.
All of these skills are transferable as they have shaped my professionalism, adaptability, and confidence in my work. I now have situational examples of how I faced challenges and overcame them. This doesn’t just apply to my professional and academic career, but to my personal experience as well. Just like the memories I have made on this study abroad experience, the skills grown here will not be forgotten.
The growth I have experienced as a result of this program has given me a much needed motivator and reminder of who I am as a person. It showed me how much there is to learn and explore outside of what I am familiar with, and ignited confidence that I can succeed at new things. I feel more comfortable engaging in conversation with people I meet, and also feel that I am leaving a more motivated academic and professional.
I am leaving London more excited to take on new challenges and experiences. I feel as though I have more of an interest in other cultures and a desire to explore even more. I think this open-mindedness and seeking of new challenges will aid me as I won’t back away when things are uncertain, which they often can be. Moving forward as an individual and professional I know I will forever cherish all that I have learned and gained from my time abroad in London.