Alumni Spotlight: Emily Van Herweg

I chose a multi-country program called the Design-your-Own program through CIS Abroad. The program allowed me to study in London for three weeks. I chose this program because of the easy access websites, how much was included, and the classes that would be offered. I wanted to take classes that would relate to what I am focusing on in my home university and receive credits for what I was interested in. In addition to it relating to and enriching my experience of the location where I was studying.

My program organized so much for me. I feel like the only thing that I was responsible for was food, transportation, and of course any activities that I wanted to do outside of the program or class. Although I was responsible for those I still received assistance and tons of helpful advice regarding all of those subjects. With food, there were several opportunities for a free lunch or dinner and there were several suggested restaurants and supermarkets. Regarding transportation, my program provided me with an oyster card that had some money on it that lasted for a couple of days. I felt that was a very helpful start to introduce me to London transportation. I also received tips and suggestions and answers to any questions I had on what to do or what to see while in London.

I wish that I would have known that transportation takes up a large portion of your day. At some points, it could take me an hour or so to get from zone three to zone one. Wherever I was going I had to factor in the amount of time it would take to get there and you had to factor in when the buses would stop running or the tube stations, etc. Also just as a side note, I also did not know that military time is commonly used. especially in London. I would tell people who are thinking about going overseas to just do it. Find a program or something that works for you and don't be afraid to pull the trigger. And to forget about all the what ifs. like what if I don't make friends, what if I don't like it. don't let those what ifs stop you from doing something that could possibly be the experience of a lifetime.

You will have really long class times and there will be breaks during class to go to the bathroom or eat real quick. But expect to be in class for three hours a day for four days a week. For me, I had a class starting at 9:30 and ending at 1:30. There will probably be excursions that will not be in a classroom setting and you will usually meet either in the classroom or in central London. After class, you have the time to do whatever you want. I pretty much went into central London almost every day. There were very few days where I wasn't doing something.

My biggest fear is probably that I wouldn't make friends and that I would probably get lost and something awful would happen to me. All my fears disappeared almost immediately. I made friends at several events that are held on campus as like a welcome event. And we actually would do a lot of things together to avoid being alone at night in London. But honestly, if you are aware of your surroundings and your possessions you will be fine. And I felt really safe knowing that my campus had 24-hour security.

Please do not get caught up in a group-think mentality. If you really want to do something, do it. I met several people who could not find someone to join them in say going to a Gorden Ramsey restaurant or go to a market or a play. so they simply did not go - they stayed on campus and did not do anything that day and they really regretted it. So I recommend researching where you are going to be and making a list of things that you really want to see or do.