I have been in London for about two weeks now. My first time overseas, I came here with a mix of much anxiety and excitement. I have to say that the first few days really disappointed me. My schoolmate and I spent a long time at border control, missing the last pick-up coach from Heathrow … Continue reading A lot can change in two weeks: Xiaodan Ning, Shanghai University of Finance & Economics.
Greetings! My name is Jordan, and I will be an Associate (study abroad) student this semester at Queen Mary University of London. I have journeyed from my home institution of the University of Colorado, Boulder in the U.S. all the way to the UK as part of an exchange program, and I am overflowing with … Continue reading The Ultimate Young Person Adventure: Studying Abroad. Jordan Lichtenheld, University of Colorado Boulder.
Hi! My name is Alix Curnow and I am a theatre arts student at the University of Michigan in the USA! I decided to apply for 'The London Scene' at Queen Mary University of London because of its focus on integrating students into theatre in the city of London specifically. I have had a ton … Continue reading From Michigan to London, seeking out the theatre scene…Alix Curnow, University of Michigan
Like most people before their year abroad I was nervous. For me, the main worries concerned whether I’d make any friends and whether I’d be able to have fun in a place that was so different to home. My primary concern was whether I could find friends among people I thought would be so different … Continue reading A Year in Istanbul at Koç University. Reflections from Harvey Jones, History & Politics student at Queen Mary.
As a young woman whose biggest travel leap of faith has been across the pond, I was anxious about taking a trip all by myself. But whenever friends couldn’t make it and Barcelona called, I decided to just go for it! Here are a few things I learned so you don’t have to. Learn the … Continue reading Yes… you can solo travel too! Alexis Buncich, Columbia University (Sep-Dec 2019)
It didn’t really surprise me to find that people dressed in a more formal and curated manner when I first arrived in London. Afterall, I’d spent enough time in New York to know that being in a cosmopolitan city made for greater variety and value given to fashion. What I didn’t expect was the astonishingly … Continue reading Starting Off on the Right Foot – Sharon Hammer, Hamilton College (Sep-Dec 2019)
One of my favorite things to do is meet Londoners and tell them that I’ve never done *insert common Londoner thing*. They become a bit red in the face and take it upon themselves to personally see to it that I experience that thing. Before coming here, I had never been to Tesco, or had … Continue reading Julia Mathur, University of California, Merced (Sep-Dec 2019)
Hi everyone! My name is Aneeza Asif and I am a junior studying Cell and Molecular Biology at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City. I am a native New Yorker and have been living in Brooklyn, NY since my family and I first immigrated to the United States when I was five … Continue reading Aneeza Asif, Barnard College (Jan-May 2020)
Shoreditch, located in East London, is a bustling hub filled with delicious food and stunning street art. If you’re not afraid of crowds, the best time to go is during the Sunday Market. But if you do make the trip, make sure you go on an empty stomach. Here are some places I tried and … Continue reading A Taste of Shoreditch – Stephanie Du, Scripps College (Sep-Dec 2019)
The custom surrounding accents in Spanish are quite similar to those of English in the UK: the way you speak gives nearly all the information someone needs to place you, from where you grew up, to your economic class to your education level. When I was working this past summer at a local burger restaurant … Continue reading Being “Sort-of” but “Not Quite” in London – Sharon Hammer, Hamilton College (Sep-Dec 2019)
Yes, London is different and, to its credit, I am a different person here. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I’ve decided that the hinge point of all this change is that, for the first time in my academic career, I have time. I am coming from a college with nearly double the … Continue reading Time After No Time – Maggie Olmsted, Wellesley College (Sep-Dec 2019)
Hello, hello to you all! My name is Julia, I am from the University of California Merced, and this is my first installment of my existence in London. As it so happens on a college campus, every day I meet new people; which means that several times a day I am doing the ‘Small Talk … Continue reading Are you doing the ‘Small Talk Dance’ too? Julia Mathur, UC Merced (Sep-Dec 2019)
Catarina, QMUL English student, studying abroad at UCSB 2019/20 I feel super excited to have the opportunity to spend a year abroad at a top university in California, USA. I am an English major studying at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). I took this year abroad as an opportunity to grow, to expand my … Continue reading California dreamin’ -Catarina De Oliveira Grangeon Pereira
As a small-town girl, enrolling in Columbia University in the City of New York was my first opportunity to live in a huge city, and as a consequence, I am desperately in love with New York. When I decided to study abroad here at Queen Mary in London, rather than being nervous I would miss … Continue reading “You drink tea?” Alexis Buncich, Columbia University (Sep-Dec 2019)
Getting to know my new home city: ...when the opportunity arose to get as far out of my comfort zone as possible and study in London fall semester of my final year, I dove right in! Even in a jet-lagged haze after about twelve hours of travel, powered by granola and countless coffees, there was … Continue reading I Think I’m Going to Like It Here. Sharon Hammer, Hamilton College (Sep-Dec 2019)
I know it is a bit late for such an article but I am sure it can still be helpful to some of you. Exams season is a highly stressful and depressing period. But isn’t there a way to make it easier? Let’s try! What I am writing will obviously depend on the kind of … Continue reading Exams season: survival guide – Delphine Martineau
Probably one of my biggest fears when going abroad to study in the US 3 years ago and again upon my arrival in UK was that I would not be able to stay true to my culture and values held by my people. Kazakhstan, being a country of only 17 million people, does not have … Continue reading Retaining my Kazakh identity while studying abroad – Bakdaulet Baitan
After first visiting London as a tourist five years ago, I returned this year to live and study in the city for the semester, and oh what a different experience it has been! Here are five lessons I have learned over the past four months living in London… Location: Along River Thames near Tower Bridge. … Continue reading 5 Years Apart, 5 Lessons Learned – Sierra DeAngelo
As a junior, it is expected that I will have an internship the summer before my senior year to prepare for life after college. However, I never anticipated I would be abroad when trying to apply for these jobs. I realized I would need to put in 10 times as much effort as I would … Continue reading Applying to Internships While Abroad – Isabel Lohr
When I first got to London I hated it. It was gray, super busy, and no one really seemed to talk to each other. I was crazy jet-lagged, and spent the first two weeks in bed napping or trying to gather enough motivation to do my homework. I struggled to make friends, and I was … Continue reading The Little Things – Lelosa Aimufua
Whilst my time in Shanghai inevitably revolves around my schooling, a year abroad wouldn’t be complete without some extra-curricular activities. The great privilege of a year abroad is complete immersion in a different city, country and way of life. Whilst I can be taught in the classroom about the ins and outs of the Chinese … Continue reading Shanghai; away from the classroom – Holly Pickerell
I have been abroad for nearly two months now and finally feel like I have a handle on how things work around here! I arrived thinking I would be taking three science courses—Physiology, Basic Biochemistry, and Electric & Magnetic Fields—and one drama course but overlap in my timetable required that I drop Physics. I chose … Continue reading How I’m Surviving 2 Sciences in the UK – Sierra DeAngelo
Food. Live to eat or eat to live. No matter what your disposition food plays a crucial role in our day to day lives. When travelling abroad how you are going to eat and maintain a comfortable and familiar diet is a primary concern. At least it was for me. I consider myself fairly open … Continue reading Food in China – Holly Pickerell
They say the truest support we can offer those in need is not to take the burden from them, but to call out their best self so that they may be able to bear it: I was lucky enough to find such support within my first week of arriving in Spain. Your Year Abroad is … Continue reading Find Your Support – Tiffany Maria Christopher-Ward
Recently, I spoke with several male friends studying in London, either full-time or with IFSA-Butler, to discuss how masculinity is interpreted and presented here, and how that differs from where they’re from. I was surprised to find so much overlap in their responses! Alex, who attends Pomona College in California but is studying at University … Continue reading Does Toxic Masculinity Exist in London? – Sierra DeAngelo
On the build-up to moving to study at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, I encountered every stereotype you could think of when Colombia comes to mind: “Isn’t that really dangerous?”, “You must be looking forward to the hot weather!”, “I hope you know how to dance salsa!”. Whilst these comments came from very well-meaning … Continue reading Misconceptions about Colombia – Flora Medford
London is an incredible city, for many reasons, and I am sure we can all agree on that. However it is extremely expensive and can live you crying on the floor after having checked your bank account (what an odd idea, am I right?)… A video has already been made on how to live here … Continue reading London’s best cinemas for all you broke film-lovers – Delphine Martineau
I have severe anxiety and depression and deciding to move abroad scared me more than anything in my life ever has. I was terrified of what was going to happen without immediate availability to my support system (Wow!, what a lighthearted way to start an article!). Once abroad, it took me a long time to … Continue reading How to practice self care abroad – Isabel Lohr
The prospect of studying abroad might be quite daunting especially if you are not sure that you will get support and help that you need. I am here to tell you that with a good amount of research and timely communication with IFSA staff, you should be able to avoid possible problems and get the … Continue reading 5 Things Students with Special Needs Must Know about Studying Abroad with IFSA – Bak Baitan
It is a country so far away from us and a culture that we know so little about. Half-way through my year abroad I feel I've gained a greater understanding for Chinese life. However, Shanghai with its lofty towers could be mistaken for most major modern cities around the world; bar the throng of neon … Continue reading Studying in China – Holly Pickerell
After hanging out in Whitechapel for four months, the author believes that he’s entitled to make this type of lists consisting, mostly, of chain restaurants. Disclaimer: Greggs is NOT on the list. Your own kitchen should probably be No 1 if we’re being honest. 12. The Half Moon (Wetherspoons) Ah yes. Spoons. Ask anyone … Continue reading Twelfth Bite: A Comprehensive Guide to Twelve (sorta) cheap places around Whitechapel that’ll get you through the semester – Xi YU
As an education major, I have spent a lot of my time in different schools learning different teaching styles. Coming to the UK has shown me a new and more focused style of teaching and learning. These are the 5 main differences I found and how to get used to them. Liberal arts do not … Continue reading 5 Differences Between US and UK Academic Systems – Isabel Lohr
Welcome to the city that has a “tube” and monstrous looking buses. The first thing I realized after taking my first trip by tube was how expensive the public transportation can be. Specifically, in relation to New York, since that’s where I’m from. I will break this up into ways to save money on public … Continue reading Saving Money on London Transportation – Jahmir Duran
Going abroad can be a very exciting time. Even just the beginning process of researching cities, talking with other students who may have traveled before you, organizing which other trips you’ll make with your friends can be a bit of a whirlwind. But what do you do when you finally selected your perfect location? For … Continue reading Do’s and Don’ts for studying abroad – Lelosa Aimufua
As I connected to more students I began to gather ways students play sports, whether on a team, or just for fun, and balance their workload at Queen Mary. Queen Mary can be rigorous at times, but there are multiple students who manage to balance it with many different commitments. Commitments on campus are a … Continue reading Balancing Sports and Classes at Queen Mary – Jahmir Duran
About a month after my friends and I left France to go to different countries for our year abroad, my two non-single girlfriends announced back-to-back that they had broken up with their boyfriends. Living in a foreign country, making new friends, discovering a different university, speaking another language than your mother-tongue every day, all of … Continue reading Being in a relationship while studying abroad – Delphine Martineau
One of the main intentions I set for 2019 was to find home in my body. I vowed to make ‘home’ a state of mind rather than a place. As I departed my loved ones and hometown on January 1st to study abroad in London for five months, I knew this hefty goal would be … Continue reading 5 Tips for Staying Centered While Abroad – Sierra Deangelo
For this article, I felt like telling you about my Christmas ! I usually give advice in my articles but for once I will be a bit egocentric and talk to you about my life. Unlike most of my Erasmus friends I have chosen to stay in London for the whole break and not go … Continue reading Christmas Tale – Delphine Martineau
As the end of the semester approaches, I wanted to talk about feeling down during your time abroad. Of course at the beginning most of us were beyond excited, seeing every part of the daily routine as new and interesting since it differs so much from the one we had back home. However, when novelty … Continue reading Feeling blue during your time abroad – Delphine Martineau
When I first started talking about my Year Abroad my preferred phrase seemed to be: ‘I won’t be back until September!’ I was adamant that if I was going abroad, I would be staying abroad: for why would I want to waste my time and money going back to England? This year I have understood … Continue reading Going Home – Tiffany Maria Christopher-Ward
London has a large population of immigrants from the continent of Africa as well as the Caribbean. As such, it can be easy to make yourself feel at home as an Afro-Caribbean person in London. Nigeria, Somalia and Jamaica are just a few countries a part of the African diaspora that have a noticeable presence … Continue reading Easy Ways to Connect to the Caribbean in London
Making friends when studying abroad is considered key to having a good experience. When you land in a new country, completely unknown to you and where you have no bearings it can be very disturbing and make you feel like you should not be there. This is why the first days can seem so daunting … Continue reading Friendship in your study abroad experience – Delphine Martineau
Listen to your body. One step at a time. Slowly slowly, as my Nonna always used to say. But I didn’t go slowly slowly. I was so determined to make this my year that I burnt myself out within the first month. For the last 4 weeks I have seen nothing but doctor’s rooms and … Continue reading Descansa – Tiffany Maria Christopher-Ward
Film and London have long had history. Like New York, LA,Paris and other major cities, hundreds of films have been shot on it’s streets.As a cinephile and aspiring filmmaker, one of my favourite things to do when I go to a major filming location city, is to find areas where they filmed my favourite movies. … Continue reading Putting on the Cinematic London Lens – Carri Case
After travelling to Brazil in 2016 I was hopeful that I’d be able to travel to another Latin American country while studying here in the US - I am chuffed to now be able to scratch off Mexico on my map when I return home! We hadn’t realised until after booking our flights that we … Continue reading A weekend in Mexico City! Katie Bevan
