Reflecting on my semester in London, I am filled with so much gratitude for the opportunity to study abroad and I am glad to have made many memories here. London has given me the opportunity to navigate new environments, be more present in the moment, and strengthen my confidence and personal agency. The beginning of the program truly felt like freshman year, where I had to find my own rhythm with new friends, routines, and a whole new academic environment. Adapting to a fast paced city such as London, I became much more action-oriented and independent, whether it was navigating the transport, exploring new parts of the city, or getting to make new friends.
Being in such a vibrant city, I am so glad to have chosen London for my study abroad. Each part of London offers a unique experience, and spending the time to explore different neighborhoods has helped me familiarize myself with the city’s rich history, art, and the people. Once I got familiar with the city, I pushed myself to explore places on my own, where I learned to become more independent with navigating and enjoying the city.
From an academic standpoint, the smaller class sizes and open-ended learning style has restructured the way I approach learning. Back at Pitt, I was used to working with structured assignment guidelines and handing in a finalized deliverable or an exam. However, the open ended discussions and projects have pushed me to share my internal processes with professors and peers. I find that this form of learning meaningfully engages with how I learn in progression rather than merely achieving a final letter grade.
This perspective of learning has also applied across my personal and professional areas of life, teaching me to slow down and introspect. I thought about my own career pursuits and I’ve been trying to reflect on my interests and how they align with my decision making. Furthermore, the variety of classes I am taking have also allowed me to explore subjects that are not offered at Pitt. Courses such as Human Computer Interaction and FinTech have also helped me to learn about other career paths related to my Finance & BIS major. This is especially meaningful in a professional aspect where I get to learn in depth about industries and global markets that I may otherwise not have learned back in the States.
Getting to know new friends in the program from all over the world has also opened my eyes to new cultures and perspectives. My trips around different countries have also strengthened this perspective, where I saw how different values, lifestyles, and cultures shape the norms of everyday life. On a personal aspect, I became much more confident with my ability to navigate change and uncertainty. In the midst of a challenging situation, I learned how to become more in tune with myself: honing into my ability to persist through the challenge than fixating on some rigid outcome. Where I once would easily feel affected by changes in circumstance, I’ve now grown to become confident in how I can overcome and find joy in whatever circumstances life throws at me.
This mindset is something I think will be very applicable in any personal and professional area of life. For example, when I think about professional leadership, managing teams, and complex projects, I can imagine that none of it will always be predictable and linear. Learning to become agile and resilient will help me to become a professional that is reliable, adaptable, and growth-oriented. Being able to understand other cultural dynamics and its nuances is also increasingly relevant in modern work environments that emphasize diversity and globalization. This aspect is something that underlies workplace norms, working styles, and communication preferences that are different across other cultures.
From my travels, seeing new cities and countries has also made me eager to travel and experience new cultures in the future. Having not traveled much prior, I feel grateful for the opportunity to be able to also travel to nearby countries in my study abroad experience. All throughout, London has felt like an amazing adventure and has definitely become my favorite semester in college. It’s difficult to acknowledge that this semester is wrapping up in a few weeks. In the meantime, I have been trying to make the most of the people, places, and memories I have. I am so glad to have gotten to know London and the people in my program. I am happy to know that I have made new friends that I will return to once again, and share memories and experiences from my time in London. It has been an incredible experience through and through, and I am so thankful to participate in this study abroad experience, as well as to those who helped make this possible to happen!
