Hi everyone! These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of traveling, guided learning, and tons of exploring! For Global Business Institute: London, we get to live in Acton, which is just a 30-minute tube ride to Central London! Something that I love about Acton is that there is literally everything here within a 15-minute walk. For example, there are a lot of bakeries and restaurants that focus on different cultures (the bakeries are the best!). Something that surprised me is that there are a ton of Polish and Indian restaurants. While I haven’t had a chance to try the Polish food, I can confidently say that when I walk past the restaurant, it has the best smells ever. 

Richmond American University could not be more different from Pitt, but in such a good way! The class sizes here are quite small, less than 15 people per class, but most of my classes have fewer than 10! At Richmond, the classes are almost 3 hours, but only once a week, but don’t worry, they give you a break for tea in the middle of the class. Since the classes here are small, there are tons of discussions between the professor and classmates, and there are tons of different perspectives because there are so many different cultures and backgrounds, which is rare for Pitt because the classes are so much larger. Something to look out for is “Guided Learning,” which I thought was just learning about a new topic, but it is actually the version of homework in London!

While I am not doing an internship, I am still getting tons of valuable experience through my coursework. The classes I am taking are the Business of Fashion, Regulation for Sustainable Finance, and Introduction to Communication and Media. Usually at Pitt, I would take only business or finance classes, but here at Richmond, there are so many classes that give so many perspectives. At Pitt, I don’t think I have had the option to take a fashion class, seeing as Pittsburgh isn’t a huge fashion hub, so it doesn’t make sense to take a fashion class there, but I am glad I have the opportunity to expand my knowledge. Some key skills that are important in this academic environment are speaking up, understanding, and patience because not everyone studying here first language is English, so sometimes it can be difficult to understand, but not impossible!

Here is picture of me and my Business of Fashion Class!