-
Top 3 Trips of the Year
By Millie Elwell, University of Maryland College Park, USA Living in the USA for a year is perfect for travelling the country and sometimes it’s good to have a break from a college town. I’ve had quite a few adventures this year, and I encourage you to do the same. Here’s my top 3:
-
Study Abroad Preparation Timeline
I am the kind of person that ALWAYS have the feeling that I have forgotten something. Before leaving the house, I re-check that I have indeed switched off the stove for the seventh time. Before leaving for the holiday, I re-check that my passport is indeed in my luggage for the seventeenth time. I’m not kidding. Hence, it’s not surprising that before I head off to Maryland to start my study abroad, I kept thinking… did I forgot to do something? What do I have to do now? Did I miss a step? Am I going to be stranded because I forgot to do something? If you are like me,…
-
Cycling: UMD College Park (Overview)
I made a decision to rent a bike on my first day of class in Maryland because I can’t stand walking 30 minutes to class in the middle of Maryland heat – and never looked back since. In this post, I’ll cover general information for people who are interested at cycling at UMD College Park.
-
Initial Thoughts: Maryland
I noticed that I have the habit to compare new places with the place I am familiar with. This includes Manchester where I have been living for 3 years. Maryland is so strikingly different from Manchester.
-
Pre departure thoughts for UMD
By Gavin Dunn (University of Maryland, College Park, USA) Well, it’s a few days before I start my trip to the University of Maryland, College Park, and to be honest, it hasn’t hit me yet. I’m definitely nervous, but being back in Manchester to finish work has really got me thinking I’m going to be starting my second semester here. Generally, most of my ‘to-dos’ on my to-do list have been crossed off, but I still feel so under prepared. With alternative assessments taking up the majority of my time over Christmas, there hasn’t been much time for anything else! Overall, this exchange has been around a year of organising.…
-
Final Reflections on Maryland
By Maddy Taylor (University of Maryland, USA) Leaving The University of Maryland was really hard. I knew it would be difficult to leave new friends behind and to let go of the travelling bug I’d caught during my time abroad. But what I didn’t expect was to find it so difficult to understand leaving. It felt almost as if I had started over and built a new university experience because everything was so different and exciting. So when it came to the end it was hard to comprehend the fleeting nature of my time abroad, and to let go of everything I had enjoyed so much. I’m the type of…
-
American Academics
By Madeleine Taylor (University of Maryland, USA). So, I really haven’t been keeping up with this blog very well lately and I am about to explain part of the reason why. The academics here in America could not be more different than back in England. I’ll lay out the differences simply: Method of assessment: Here in Maryland I have at least 4 methods of assessment for each of my classes, with participation (attendance, talking in class and sometimes bi-weekly response papers) usually counts for around 20% of your final grade. For me, a massively keen student, participation grades have been great – but if you’re not used to showing up…
-
Maryland Bound
By Madeleine Taylor (University of Maryland, USA) The prospect of flying nine hours across ‘the pond’ for eight months is pretty daunting. There will be so much to adjust to and appreciate, and so little time to do so. Not seeing my family for that long is going to be difficult, but I am excited to strike out on my own and throw myself into life at the University of Maryland. After all, my well known motto is: You are a strong, independent woman. And I plan to fully realise this alter-ego on my trip (we’ll see how that goes). Packing was a struggle; how could I possibly fit eight…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
