The “Study” in Study Abroad

As much as I wish being here was all play and no work, I am here in London to study and focus on school (at least a little bit). So, today I will be sharing what it is like to actually study while being abroad!

A view of London.

My class schedule is actually pretty ideal considering each class only occurs once a week. Because I am also doing an internship while being abroad, which takes place on Mondays and Thursdays, I only have classes two days a week. As a Humanities major with a business minor, I am receiving three total credits for my degree while taking classes abroad – two for Humanities and one for business. With that being said, here is a little breakdown of my schedule:

On Tuesdays, I start my mornings with a literature class focused on Shakespeare the Dramatist. One might find his work to be difficult to get through, and maybe even a bit tedious, but it has actually been a very interesting course so far as we have brought his plays into a modern context and studied them through non-typical lenses. Tuesday afternoons are spent in an Architecture of London class, where we travel all over London to learn about different architectural styles and the contrast between modern architecture and styles dating all the way back to Roman and Greek periods.

Wednesdays start off with a Film Production class where we are working towards creating a five-minute short film while learning about different film and production styles. In the afternoon, I have International Marketing and Management where we discuss global marketing strategies and brand efficiency. Every other Wednesday evening I have an Internship Seminar. There are only about twenty or so students who are also participating in an internship on top of their studies, and we are receiving class credit with the attached seminar portion.

There are no classes on Fridays, which are reserved for field trips, make-up days, and – my favorite use of a Friday – travel. This is one of the biggest academic differences between studying here and at Wofford. With no classes on Fridays, we are able to spend more time exploring London or have opportunities to travel other places. Another difference between my classes abroad in comparison to Wofford is the duration. Classes here are longer, as they only occur once a week, and they are about two and a half hours each with a break in the middle.

To be completely honest, the workload of the courses here is very different in comparison to what it is at Wofford. At Wofford, my classes typically involve some level of multiple tests/essays/assignments throughout the semester on top of midterms, finals, and weekly homework. Being abroad, however, is almost the opposite. For most of the courses offered here, at least for all of the ones I am taking, there is one assignment for midterms and one assignment as a final. Midterms are coming up in the next week, and all of my midterms are essays, which is just fine with the Humanities major in me. Because of this seemingly reduced workload, I found it quite easy to adjust to the academic expectations and rigor while being abroad. I have also found it easy, and very refreshing, to maintain a balance between school and exploring London and the surrounding areas.

The Kenilworth Castle that I saw on one of the field trips offered.