Celeste is currently in her senior year at California Lutheran University pursuing a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology. She studied abroad in London during the fall semester of her junior year and she hopes to return back to the UK for graduate school.
Studying abroad had always been a dream of mine and after comparing all of my program options, I felt as though AIFS was the perfect fit. The flight package was very convenient and made things a lot less stressful.
The activities and trips that they had planned were incredible and allowed me to see the city while making some lifelong friends.
They were extremely helpful with getting all of the paperwork turned in during the admissions process. I still had to be aware of deadlines and organize what I needed for traveling. From the moment I landed in London, AIFS was extremely welcoming and helpful with settling in to the university.
Keep an open mind and take every opportunity that you get.
Walking to classes along the most beautiful streets in London (Monday-Thursday), grabbing lunch with some friends at the Builder's Arms or Nando's, adventuring around the city for the rest of the day.
On weekends (Friday-Sunday) if you aren't traveling to another country, you are most likely exploring the London markets, walking through the free museums, and experiencing the incredible nightlife.
My biggest fear was getting homesick and feeling left out from the things going on at my home university. I overcame this by making sure I kept in contact with my family and really taking advantage of being in London. I surrounded myself with some amazing friends who were there through the highs and lows of the semester.
My friend and I found our way into a taping of the Alan Carr Chatty Man show which is a British talk show. It was really cool to see how everything was filmed and how the content and slang is different from American TV shows.