1. What study abroad experience were you in?
I was a part of the Colgate London Economics Study Group.
2. What was the highlight of your study abroad experience?
While I was abroad, I took a trip to Athens, Greece on my own for four days. It was my first time traveling (and organizing) a trip on my own, and it happened to be a place I’d wanted to visit since I was a kid. I got to see all sorts of historical sites and spent a lot of my time at the Akropolis, old temples, and museums. The whole trip was amazing, and the fact that I did it on my own is something that I deeply value.
3. What type of activities did you do while being abroad?
I visited local Gurdwaras (Sikh temples), went to markets with my friends, attended weekly plays, and traveled to various cities.
Harpreet in England
4. What type of classes did you take?
I took one theater course and three economics courses (The British Economy, Economics of the European Union, and Global Economic Issues). We had terrific guest lecturers for our economics classes. For the theater course, we had the amazing opportunity to attend various plays throughout London while learning about the history of London’s theater scene.
5. What was the biggest surprise to you about being abroad?
I was surprised by the extent of my independence and my ability to settle into a more natural way of my life in another country. It was surprisingly easy to get used to!
6. What advice would you give to someone who may want to go abroad in the upcoming year?
Do things that challenge you, even scare you a bit (within reason, of course). Take trips on your own, try to immerse yourself into the place you are visiting. If you’re on a Colgate study group, it is easy to latch onto the group and avoid interacting with the people who live in the place you have a chance to visit. That’s a huge disservice to yourself!
Also, appreciate the chance to travel and be open-minded about the places you will see and the people you’ll meet. Not everyone has the privilege to travel, and the fact that you are able to go to another country and call it home for a semester means a lot! Studying abroad isn’t a break from life- meaning it’s going to have the regular ups and downs you might experience during your average semester at Colgate. It may not be all sunshine all the time, but it will be something memorable.