Yorkshire Tea, Cadbury chocolate, and Branston Pickle--those are the things UK expats miss when away from home. How do I know this? I am in Japan, my home country, for Warwick’s Easter Holiday which separates the Spring and Summer terms and have been hanging out with my former teachers from Britain. I think I am going to miss those foods, too, along with the UK Doritos (which are the best I have tasted in three countries). They even beat out the yummy Japanese Doritos which are far superior to the US versions--what is up with that, Frito Lay?
However, I did not come to England in search of better chips. I thought it would be interesting to spend the next few blog entries focusing more on life at the University of Warwick and why one might choose it for a semester abroad, especially since I understand the IB majors in the year below are in the midst of deciding which universities they hope to attend.
England made my shortlist for two reasons: language and courses. It really helps that everyone I have encountered speaks English since my second language is only spoken in Japan. Warwick Business School also offers classes that count towards both my International Business and Human Resources Management degrees, so I am still on track to graduate college on time. I know from one of the other IB majors at Warwick that there are many Finance courses USC students can take, as well.
Credits earned at the University of Warwick translate back to USC as pass/fail. This means that my Carolina GPA is not affected by my term overseas. However, graduate schools look at all transcripts, so I cannot slack whilst in England. Students need a minimum of 12 credit hours to maintain full-time student status at USC, which is equivalent to 48 CATS. Some classes can be worth more CATS depending on how long you are staying at the university. If you are there for two terms, classes tend to count for more than if you are only there for one. One of the other USC students chose to attend Warwick for only one term, so while he is already finished with his study abroad experience, except for a handful of papers due in about a month, he took more classes than me during the Spring term to meet the full-time status requirement.
Classes, as I mentioned in an earlier post, are run differently--they meet once a week and finals can be up to 100% of your grade, so finding a good study spot is a must. My favorite building at Warwick to do homework is the library because there are quiet study areas on almost every floor. All of the study areas are above ground, so you can set up shop by a window and bask in the little bits of sunshine that weasel their way through the cloudy English sky. There is even a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream machine on the ground floor, which makes being at the library even more worth it. The only downside is that, unlike the Thomas Cooper Library which stays open 24/7, the University of Warwick’s library closes.
If you want a safe campus, Warwick is definitely a school to consider. Some of the on-campus facilities, such as the library, require Warwick student IDs for entry, which cuts down on theft. The grounds are very well-lit when dark so late-night study sessions in other buildings on campus are possible. There are also surveillance cameras everywhere. This is a norm in the UK, but it still makes me feel a lot more comfortable walking home at night.
There are downsides to Warwick, as well, but I will write about them in the next post. For now, I need to go to bed early because I start an internship tomorrow.
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