The first place on our journey in keeping the dream alive of International travel is England. Numerous students attend programs in England ranging from Harlaxton (Grantham) to Leeds to even London. Two students from TLU that I have interviewed studied in Grantham at Harlaxton College and the other chose to spend his time in London. When going to study abroad, there are some factors and experiences that can hold individuals back including uncertainty about classes, fear of the unexpectedness abroad, and even lack of support from family. Here is a glance at some advice, what they have learned through their experiences, and the classes they were able to take.

TLU senior biochemistry major Camille Green attended Harlaxton in the Fall of 2017. She says her experience living in the castle was great, and she even had a chance to participate in the Meet-a-Family program. According to Camille, “This is a program where a native family takes in a student that is studying abroad and allows them to hang out with them and see what it’s like in a family from that country. My Meet-a-Family ‘parents’ were Stephen and Veronica and they were the best part of my experience abroad. They were a shoulder to cry on, a person to talk to, and such wonderful people! I couldn’t have asked for a better family to be with!” Additionally, she states that “[Her] study abroad experience was one of a kind and so very exciting!” and she was very glad that she was glad that she went abroad. Her highest moment abroad was her trip to Budapest. From her experience she states that, “The conversion rate from American U.S. dollars to Hungarian Franks was VERY good so I spent at most $121 dollars over the course of 3 days and 4 nights! Also, the friends I made while traveling to Budapest and back were great people and they helped make Budapest an amazing experience. From this experience, I learned that you can travel for cheap and still have a great time!” However, with some high moments there is a corresponding low moment being away from home. Camille shared that her lowest moment was around Mid-October at Harlaxton when she fell into a depressive state. She felt ashamed and stupid for feeling this way when she was traveling the world so, she kept to herself. She kept to a routine of class, her room and the cafeteria until her friend Chase helped her get back on her feet. She learned that it even if you think you have it all together, sometimes you need someone. The classes that she took at Harlaxton were a British Studies course (6 hours split between English and History), a Dance class that transferred back as a Dramatic Media Course, and a Calculus class that transferred back as a 3-credit class under math. The tips that she wanted to share with other students planning to study abroad are to start saving as soon as you can, make sure that you plan on how you will use your phone abroad to cut down the opportunity for a huge phone bill, and become knowledgeable about conversion rates in order to help mange your money better abroad.

TLU junior Ally Ener spent her Fall of 2018 in the Harlaxton manor like Camille. She stayed on the top floor and enjoyed having the classes in the manor as well. There were many stairs, so on the bright side she said it helped her stay fit. When speaking to her about her experience, she stated that is was a positive adventure for her. Throughout her time abroad, she gained independence/freedom and liked being able to travel to see different places. One story that stood out to her was what she considered one of her lowest times. Ally took a trip to Amsterdam with her friends and they did not plan it very well. The Airbnb that they had booked turned out to be fake, and they did not have a place to stay at first. She said that it was scary, but the experience taught her a lot and she was willing to share her tips to help better the experiences of others. Ally encourages others to try to prepare as best as you can for any trip, make sure the hostels or Airbnb’s that you stay in are verified, do not overpack for trips since you will do a lot of shopping, and most of all plan a cushion in your budget for any unseen expenses (in her case buying an expensive hotel so they could have a place to stay). As far as her studies, Ally is an English major and she chose classes that would count for her upper level degree work. She took a British Studies class that counts for 6 credit hours (3 in English and 3 in History), Shakespeare that transferred back as 3 credit hours in English, and an Introduction to Sociology class with TLU professor, Dr. Castro. It also was a plus that her family was very supportive when she told them she wanted to study abroad. Ally emphasizes that “they knew that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so they really encouraged me to do it when I talked to them about it.”

In contrast to the students that went to Harlaxton, TLU senior Dramatic Media major Elijah Lewis studied abroad in London in Spring of 2019 where he stayed in a flat with his roommate. He was not a fan of the small room, but it helped that his roommate and himself got along. Elijah states that it was a different experience for him because it was both what he expected and completely different. He jokingly compared it to learning how to run again as it was a lot of new experiences. His most impactful moment during his experience was when he felt like he was on top of the world when he climbed the volcano Arthur’s Seat in Scotland and watched the sun rise. Like Camille, he had a rough patch during the semester when things weren’t going well back home. He believed that he should have been back in the states to help, but the friends that he made in England reminded him that he was studying abroad for a reason. Elijah took many classes that transferred back to TLU that counted as communications as well as dramatic media, and it was a beneficial experience because one language credit was waived. Some tips he wanted to share were to bring your favorite candy/snacks with you abroad since different countries have snacks that you aren’t used to, do not let pride takeover if there is an opportunity to save money, and do not hesitate to be your own advocate. He demonstrated one tip while abroad was by not being afraid to ask fellow African Americans that lived in London where would be the best places to get his hair braided. He ended up making new friends and was able to connect with a Jamaican & Caribbean community in London. Additionally, he states that London was very expensive and there were many homeless youth as well as young adults. So, there were places that would have cheaper food or that would hand out free food. It can be seen as an opportunity that only struggling individuals would take however, he did not let his pride get in the way and realized that most people from all different backgrounds ate there. Similar to Ally, Elijah’s family was supportive, but his mom was a bit worrisome since he was her oldest child. She kept in touch with him a lot to make sure he was safe but, she knew that he had wanted this opportunity for a while.

After listening to the story of Camille, Ally, and Elijah, you can see how they each had unique experiences in England. It is true that they can go through similar experiences, but your study abroad experience is truly what you make of it. I hope that through these three individuals you can see how impactful that their study abroad stories are on their lives. On our next journey, we will meet students that studied abroad in New Zealand and Australia. Stay tuned!

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Photos courtesy of Camille Green: Views of the inside of the Baths in Budapest, Hungary

Written By: Audrey West