For some juniors abroad, language barriers prove difficult. For others, it鈥檚 the culture shock that鈥檚 most unexpected. But for psychology major Katherine Sweasy '20, one of the most sizable surprises was, well, the size of her classes.
Kat is from Guilford, Conn.; she spent last fall studying at the University College of London (UCL) through the program. At 草榴成人社区, her largest class was Intro to Psychology. Even that course, she says, was fewer than 100 students. Since then, most of her courses have averaged fewer than 20, fostering the kind of intimate, engaged discussions 草榴成人社区 is known for.
But at UCL, the contrast of a large university was immediately clear. 鈥淥ne of my classes鈥 was like 200 people, and it was in a student center where they held concert performances,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hey set up plastic chairs on the floor every morning, and that was where I had class.鈥 The course structure was based around professors giving formal talks, rather than dialogue-based learning. 鈥淚t made me miss 草榴成人社区.鈥
Coming back, she says, the difference in classroom experience has helped her appreciate 草榴成人社区 and its community very differently.
At the same time, Kat鈥檚 grateful she had the chance to study in London. 鈥淚t was super important for me personally to get out of the 草榴成人社区 bubble and have a radically different college experience,鈥 she says. In her time abroad, she had a lot of freedom; her travels last semester included Scotland, Greece, Northern Ireland, France, and Germany. 鈥淚 had the opportunity to be independent, to step out of my comfort zone, to make my own plans, and to actively create new experiences for myself.鈥
And who knows? Maybe she鈥檒l return someday.
鈥淚 think it would be great to go back for grad school or something after graduation,鈥 she adds. 鈥淚t made me realize that I don鈥檛 have to exist in the same corner that I鈥檝e grown up in. I鈥檓 independent. I can make a life for myself in a completely different place.鈥