I’m a junior majoring in Screenwriting and I am about to go abroad for the first time in my life.
The farthest I’ve been outside of my own country is Canada and that was when I was four years old, so I really don’t know what to expect. I have been doing my best to prepare by reading the e-mails Queen Mary sends and by doing some of my own research. I am a bit worried about the course-load as it is supposed to be more intense than in the States, and the environment will be different. As a Rollins student I am used to small discussion-based classes but will be attending big lecture-style classes in London. The cool thing is that we have less class meetings overall, so that should leave plenty of time for travel and sight-seeing.
I’ve done a lot of work this summer to prepare for the program, from getting documents together to saving for traveling and food (a meal plan is not included). So, it was scary when hurricane Irma hit Florida and damaged most of our structures, including airports. One of my friends had to change her flight three times and I was worried the storm would affect me too. Luckily, all seems to be good at the moment. I used this opportunity to get rid of a lot of my old stuff. All of my belongings can now fit into a suitcase and a backpack which feels really freeing.
I have no concrete plans for travelling as of yet, but I hope to see as many countries as possible and a few specific places (like the Chatsworth House where Pride and Prejudice was filmed). As far as the college itself goes, one of the many things I am excited about is Queen Mary’s fitness center which is supposed to be way bigger than at Rollins. I was surprised to learn, though, that students actually have to buy a membership. It costs 74 pounds for one semester.
With Halloween coming up, I am especially looking forward to going to Fright Nights at Thorpe Park which looks a lot like Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. Some friends and I will probably go see an NFL football game, too.
I feel pretty prepared for the program, a lot of which is thanks to a blog I found called The Study Abroad Blog. It has advice about everything from living out of a suitcase to dealing with culture shock and homesickness. Definitely check it out if you’re worried:
http://thestudyabroadblog.com/
That’s about it for now. More updates to come.