Give us an intro!
I am a journalism major from University of Missouri- Columbia (better known as Mizzou) and will be graduating this May. My emphasis is in strategic communication and I am hoping to work for an international advertising agency eventually that lets me travel and see more of the world. My weaknesses include coffee, pancakes, naps, binge reading books and shirtless male celebrities (*cough* Zac Efron *cough*).
Why did you pick this program?
I picked this program because I wanted to be able to study and intern abroad in London. I wanted to see how the work environment differed abroad and I knew it would be a great resume booster. I also liked that CAPA's office/ classrooms were in central London. The classes I took immersed me in the city and London culture instead of locking me in a classroom for several hours a week.
What do you wish someone had told you before you went abroad?
Don't wait so long to take your first trip! My friends and I didn't leave to take a trip outside London for almost 2 months so at the end of the program we were gone more weekends then we were there. Even though we had these great experiences everywhere we went (and those weekends we were in London), I wish we would have known to spread our trips.
What is the most important thing you learned abroad?
Go with the flow. It is such a simple concept but it is also an important one. There are always going to be plans that fall through but that doesn't mean you need to freak out about it. Some of the best memories I have with friends are those trips we took where nothing went right but we found a way to laugh it off and explore the country anyways.
What do you tell your friends who are thinking about going abroad?
DO IT, go see the world. Don't worry about the money and don't worry about leaving your boyfriend or friends for a semester. It is a once in a lifetime experience that you will only regret if you don't do it. There are ways to finance your experience and just because you are miles away from your friends does not mean you cannot stay in touch. The experience lets you grow as a person and find out who you want to be and what you want to do in your life.
What was the hardest part about going abroad?
I don't recall there being one specific hard thing I dealt with when studying abroad, but there were a few bumps in the road.
One of those bumps was financing my study abroad experience, but Mizzou's financial aid office was super helpful. Another bump was finding a subleaser for my apartment, which my advice for that is look for someone early!
There were times when I was in London when I was homesick, but the girls I studied abroad with became my family. I still stayed in touch with the people back home so that wasn't as much as a hardship as I thought it would be.
What's your favorite story to tell about your time abroad?
I have so many stories and I am fond of them all. However, I love talking about the trip my friends took to Italy where absolutely everything went wrong. We booked the hostel in Rome for the week before we were there and then found out three popes were being canonized that weekend. It took hours to find somewhere to stay because there were millions more people than normal in Rome that weekend.
Then when we went to Tuscany for three days we booked wrong trains and missed trains multiple times. By the time we got to Venice we thought we couldn't run into anymore bad luck but the city on water decided it wanted to downpour rain the entire three days we were there. I loved Italy and can laugh at all the mishaps now but I am in no rush to go back to that misfortune.
What made this experience unique and special?
Studying abroad is a special and unique experience no matter where you go and who you are with. Living in the middle of Missouri is a complete 180 from living in central London for four months. The busy city let me grow as a person and taught me what it really meant to be independent.
There has never been a moment where I regretted going to London, and I think that is unique. It was such a positive experience and something I had wanted to do for several years and I would do it again and again if I had the chance.
Tell us about an experience you had that you could not have had at home.
My friends and I went to Budapest and Prague for spring break. During a night out in Prague my friend Jess and I left separately and got lost in the city on the way to our hostel. We somehow got pick-pocketed and her phone and our wallets were taken. We didn't realize they were gone until the morning and when we did communicating this with our hostel and the police was very challenging. We tracked her phone to a persons car and when the police talked to the older gentleman they told us that he wouldn't have it because he was older (even though we heard it beeping.) We ended up going to the police station and waiting 4 hours for someone to come in from an outside city that spoke English to fill out a police report. Thankfully our passports weren't stolen and the other two girls we were traveling with let us borrow money until we got new debit cards sent from home. The whole experience was stressful, frustrating and a wake-up call.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Do not worry about making friends! It is such a special experience and you will bond with the other people on your program no matter what. I was super worried that I wouldn't make any friends and I would be miserable the entire time. That couldn't have been farther from the truth.
I made 3 best friends on my program and still talk to all the other girls I studied abroad with. Living in a new city is something that bonds you and you will make friends within the first week, I promise.
What made this trip meaningful to you, or how did this trip change your perceptions, future path?
This trip taught me so much about myself. It taught me to not worry so much about how things are going to work out, but just trust that they are. My internship taught me about what I specifically want to do in the advertising world after graduation, and that as a girl you can be successful at a young age if you work hard. Lastly, it taught me how important it is to me to have a job that allows me to travel. I am happiest when I am exploring a new city or country and I want my job to allow me to continue to do that.
Can I fall in love with a local while studying abroad?
The answer to this question is yes, of course you can. Did this happen to me or my friends? Unfortunately, no. Most of the girls that I studied abroad with all had the same idea, we would go to London, fall in love, and move back to London after we graduated this year. This movie worthy scenario didn't happen for us but I do know people that it has happened to.
In the words of a cheesy Pinterest quote, "you can't seek out love". I may not have found my future husband in London (who I wish was Harry Styles), but I did fall in love with London and that was just as special.