University of Illinois: Study Abroad at the University of Aberdeen

I always knew I wanted to study abroad when I went to college, but I hadn’t put much thought into it until the beginning of my Junior year. That seems to be the year when most students at Illinois decide to study abroad, and so I began looking into different programs, attending meetings, and filling out paperwork.

When it came down to a decision, I kind of happened upon Aberdeen by chance. Most students I knew either ended up going to Italy or Spain. Those were, and still are, the popular choices. I wanted to go somewhere a bit out of the box, so to speak, but nothing too crazy like Tibet. I had always been fascinated with the U.K., so I focused my search there.

My first choice was London, but none of the specific programs really appealed to me. (My girlfriend ended up studying abroad there at the same time, so I visited quite a lot, regardless). When I started looking into Scotland, Edinburgh was my next pick, but Illinois only offered art programs there, and I didn’t fit into that. Aberdeen really just popped up on my radar one day, and I fit right in with the general study program that was available. Plus they speak English (obviously), which was a big deal for a lazy American like me!

I began doing more research and liked the sound of it more and more every day. I finally just said heck with it, nobody goes to northern Scotland, so why not me? A bit of a gamble, but it really paid off. To be honest, choosing to live and study in any foreign country for an extended period of time is a bit of a gamble – and that’s what makes it so special and exciting!

First of all, I had great flat mates. That can’t be understated. I lived in a student village just north of the main campus that housed British first years and foreign exchange students. There were Americans, Italians, Kenyans, and all sorts of nationalities represented in this community, which was great for my exposure, but all my flat mates were true blue Scots.

There were four of them, and they really showed me the ropes and introduced me to so many cultural aspects of Scottish life, pubs included. Two of them even took me to stay with their families for a couple long weekends, really allowing me to get a look at life over there from the inside.

Secondly, Aberdeen really provides a great support system for exchange students, and their campus even evokes the feeling of a more traditional U.S. school, albeit much older. As well, Illinois provided a few structured events and trips for the larger group of Illinois students that were studying abroad all across the U.K. at the time, including a trip to London that was an absolute blast.

Speaking of traveling, I made it to London at least five or six other times, ventured out into the Scottish highlands, visited Glasgow and Edinburgh with my flat mates, and spent time in Madrid, Paris, and Amsterdam. And when I wasn’t traveling, I had a terrific time exploring all Aberdeen had to offer (it’s an extremely old city with a lot of great history). Located far to the north, with all the cloudy days and granite stone, it might not be huge a tourist destination, but it didn’t take long for me to feel like Aberdeen was home, and that might have been its best attribute.