Interview with Jessica Mew, GlobaLinks alumna in Scotland
GO: Why did you decide to study abroad with GlobaLinks in Stirling, Scotland?
Jessica: I really wanted to study abroad again and Europe was my next destination! I absolutely love Scottish history and wanted to explore the Highlands. I convinced my best friend from home, Kim, to come on my next study abroad adventure. The great thing about studying abroad in Europe over the summer, it allowed us to travel after our program was over.
Jessica at a loch in the highlands
It was really fun to have my best friend along for the trip because it was such a short program. I worked with AustraLearn on my last studying abroad trip to Fiji, and I absolute loved how friendly and how fast they responded, so I decided to work with EuroLearn.
GO: What made your study abroad experience unique and special?
Jessica: Scotland is filled with history and culture. The program was only a month long, but they jammed pack so much history of Scotland into it. Every Wednesday they left us a Scottish treat in our room for us to try such as Yorkshire pudding potato chips (definitely would not have tried it on my own!)
In addition, the William Wallace monument is right next to the university and definitely worth a visit (beware of how steep it is!) Also, each Thursday we had a planned trip including transportation and an optional tour in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and St. Andrews. Sterling (the coordinator) is very approachable and has a lot of good travel tips not just for Scotland, but for fun Europe adventures for the weekend.
Jessica in front of St. Andrew's Castle
The ISS team also planned a Highlands trip with a travel company, which was definitely worth it! There is just such a long list of activities to do that a month really just isn’t enough. Scotland is just absolutely beautiful, probably the most beautiful place in the world (yes, even over Fiji!) Scottish people are very friendly and fun to be around. Although, it will probably take at least a day for you to understand their accents fully, it keeps things interesting!
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Jessica: I’m currently in a master’s program for social work and I love learning about different cultures. Studying abroad in Europe definitely increased my love for traveling, and it is amazing how you can go to a different country every weekend. The classes at Stirling are great, because each class integrated Scottish history and culture into it.
I took Psychology of Evil and Photography, both of which explored Scottish history. Each class had a field trip during the summer session, which gave students a greater opportunity to explore Scotland. In addition, hearing a true Scot retell Scottish history is definitely the best, especially with the accent and the occasional curse word.
Jessica and Kim atop the William Wallace monument
Scots are the best storytellers and honestly are some of the nicest people in the world. Scotland is beyond gorgeous and it truly makes you appreciate nature's beauty. Scotland was a lot of fun, but it also helped reassure myself that social work was the right path for me. Scotland is filled with a unique culture that I don’t think anyone can resist. I really hope one day to go back, possibly as a social worker!
Want to hear more about Jessica's experiences with GlobaLinks? Check out her study abroad experience in Suva, Fiji at the University of the South Pacific, or her Internship in New Zealand!
10,200 Awesome Followers!
I absolutely LOVED Scotland. Stirling is amazing in that, its not a huge city but its big enough. If you want the big city, Edinburgh and Glasgow are less than a hour away. There is a pub down the street from the university and downtown Stirling has a busy nightlife on the weekends. The highlands are the real secret of Scotland, it is just breathe taking.
University of Stirling is beautiful, it has a loch on campus where students can learn how to canoe. There is a golf course, a castle, and the William Wallace monument is just across the street. Stirling is filled with Scottish history, and all the classes taught during ISS incorporate it into the curriculum which just makes everything much more interesting. The academic standards are higher in Europe, so the classes are tougher, but your grades get inflated when they transfer over. All the Scottish teachers are amazing story tellers, and Scottish history is definitely nothing to skimp on.
The staff encourages trying new things and helping students plan trips in and around Scotland and trips to different countries on the weekends. Every Wednesday, the staff would come by our dorms with a new Scottish treat for us to try. They weren't all good, but it was worth trying!
The living situations were really nice. We all had our own bedrooms with a shared bathroom/kitchen between 4 people. Scotland is expensive, but if you plan right and try not to eat out too much, you should be fine. I traveled to Spain one weekend during the soccer world cup, and it was amazing! After my time in Scotland, I took another month to explore Ireland and Greece. Being in Europe is really amazing because there is just so much culture around you, and its so easy to book a weekend trip to so many countries!