London Was Always a Dream

Three months from now I will be making a huge change…I will be moving to London! I got accepted to go to Goldsmiths, University of London! I am going for a full academic year (September to June) and I couldn’t be more excited! It is going to be a big change but I am more than ready!

I am excited to spend time in a city that I love! One thing that I can’t wait for is to be challenged. To be challenged in school and in personal life is something that I have been craving for awhile now. Going to London will push me and change me in so many ways.

Alumni Spotlight: On the Radio

Interstudy Alumni come from around the country – from big schools in big cities to small schools in even smaller towns. Enrolling directly at a university abroad through Interstudy means that our students can also study a wide range of disciplines – from engineering to the arts, and everything in between.

One Interstudy Alum, Nicholas Petricca, a graduate of Kenyon College in Gambier, OH, has been making waves since his semester at Goldsmiths, University of London….radio waves.

London – the New Milan?

This week is Design Week in London (May 24-26). During the week, over 60 showrooms will be opened up and a number of other designed focused events will take place around the city. Read more about the week here: http://www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com/.

So is London the new Milan? The Huffington Post reports that British design has it’s own sense of creativity and originality, setting it apart from other design hubs. So if you’re looking to study Design and/or Fashion during your semester abroad, and perhaps haven’t had a chance to brush up on your Italian, London may be the place for you! Here are two Interstudy programs with Design and Fashion options for study abroad students:

In Class at Goldsmiths

We joke a lot about classroom culture at Goldsmiths because comparatively for most of us, it’s rather laid back. Most seminar sessions start by asking “did anybody do the readings?” to which the professor receives a couple of scattered nods and many blank stares. But fortunately, this rarely stops us from having a successful discussion. Despite the fact that the students aren’t extremely concerned with following the syllabus word for word, I have found that they are quite knowledgeable, and always are able to engage in an appropriate and productive discussion. Someone mentioned this is because of A levels, where students focus on an area of academic interest before university. Also, I find my classmates are always acutely aware of relevant current events, which professors take just as seriously as doing the coursework.

London Sightseeing – Off the Beaten Path

London is full of sights to see – Big Ben, Westminster, the London Eye, and the list goes on. On a recent trip to the city, I ventured out to a not-so-touristy tourist site in northwest London, Abbey Road. The site of Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded most of their albums including the famous ‘Abbey Road’, is not well marked or full of the usual gift shops and tourist buses. In fact, the road is quite busy, making it hard to stage a copy of the iconic Beatles album cover. We tried our best though, and with the help of a little photo shop, here’s what we can up with.

Coleman, Resident Director, Britain and Ireland

First Impressions – A Few Weeks In

The most accurate phrase I’ve heard used to describe London is “anything goes”. This place is so huge that you interact with every type of person you can imagine on the daily. Especially at Goldsmiths, which truly values and original thought, the phrase “anything goes” is even more accurate. As long as you put ample effort into an idea, then it is accepted with open arms – from a fashion statement to an academic perspective to an artistic display.