Because the language barrier can be a huge hindrance to students wishing to study abroad, England is a popular destination for American students. Beyond that, it’s easy to travel to many popular European cities from London, so if exploring Europe is your goal while studying abroad, London is a great location.
Despite the lack of different language, UNL senior Alex Gallardo said she still found it a bit difficult to adjust to British culture. She expected it to be fairly similar to America, but a lot of work had to be put in to avoid looking like a tourist.
One of the most beneficial differences between the UK and the US was the structure of the school year. Alex and her friends had a lot of time to spend traveling between school weeks, as well as a four-week spring break.
Of all the various trips she took, the most exciting was to Budapest. One of Alex’s friends had to meet the other two of them in town a day late because she couldn’t miss a day of her internship. On her flight in, she was surrounded by men attending bachelor parties in the city. Coincidentally, the three girls found one of these groups at a bar, and they were invited to spend the rest of the night enjoying the all-expenses-paid bachelor party festivities.
Beyond that, Alex and her friends visited Oslo, Norway; Amsterdam; Austria; Stonehenge and Bath. Over spring break, she visited family in Greece then went to Rome, Florence, Siena, Barcelona, Paris and Versailles.
“If I could do the whole semester over again, I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said. “I traveled as much as I could, met new people, got to live in an amazing city and I had some of the best experiences of my life.”
Alex strongly believes every student should take the opportunity to study abroad if there’s any chance they can afford it and fit it into their academic schedule. There’s just no other point in life when you can just get up and leave for a few months with no consequence.
“It’s been a year since I left, and there hasn’t been a day when I don’t miss it,” she said. “As crazy as it sounds, I don’t think I’d be the person I am today had I not studied abroad.”
