Politics and International Relations student and Turing Scheme grant recipient, Sagal, studied abroad in Boston College last academic year and shares their experiences with you below!

Booking my flight to Boston was the first moment that really cemented the fact that I would be studying abroad. Before that, it felt so far away. Doing applications in my second year of university, getting my acceptance seven months before I left, it all felt so unreal and far away.

When I finally arrived in Boston in August, I felt a rush of excitement, fear and eagerness to learn about this new place I would call home for the next nine months. One of the reasons I wanted to study in Boston was because it was still a major city like London, but also had a huge student population. I felt that going to a city with over 30 different universities would be pretty fun. Being partly raised in Canada and the UK, I thought I was already familiar with North American culture…little did I know that I would experience a second culture shock!

Campus Life and Culture
The first thing I noticed about Boston College was its beautiful campus. Going on my first tour, I was in complete shock at how each building looked like an ancient church and was stunning (although it is a Jesuit school). The campus is also located just outside of the city, so it is technically in the suburbs of Boston, but I definitely preferred this as it gave me a campus environment. Though I was only a 30 minute train ride away from downtown, the BC area felt like its own little university town which was nice.

Now onto the culture shock – being partly raised in Canada and the UK, I thought I was already familiar with North American culture, little did I know that I would experience a second one! Firstly, the food in Boston is really different. I found myself missing the little British snacks like Digestives, Yorkshire tea (that I would drink every morning) and so many other items. It seemed that Boston is a relatively healthy city though – there was always a salad bar or Starbucks everywhere I went (they really love their salads and iced coffee here). Adjusting to the food here was definitely a challenge though, the portion sizes were definitely a huge difference!

Sports Culture
Boston College is a huge sports school. The first semester I came, they were always hosting some type of football or other sports game each week. They have a huge football stadium in the middle of campus, which is so convenient and fun for games! I also experienced what they call ‘tail-gating’ which is just a huge BBQ that is held in the parking lot, with games, drinks and a lot of people!

Retreats
One thing I noticed about Boston College is their famous retreats. They hold retreats for many different societies where they take students to another town to spend two nights with many other students. I had the amazing opportunity to go on a retreat at a lake house owned by the university with the Muslim Student Association! Oh and the best thing….it’s all free!

Travel
The first thing I wanted to do once I reached Boston was to go hiking and thankfully the BC outdoors club hosted many hiking trips across the region and even across states! During the first month of autumn, I was able to go hiking in New Hampshire, which is something I would recommend everyone to do at least once. Thanks to the Turing Scheme, my living expenses and travel opportunities increased dramatically! Although I had been saving up and working for a year before I went abroad, the scheme also made a huge difference to my experiences here as I was able to do much more! I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Montreal during the winter. Although it was super cold and in the middle of a winter storm, it was a great, lively city to visit with friends. I also visited Rhode Island during the spring for a little beach get away!