Tufts Blogs

 

Studying abroad was something I always knew I wanted to do in college. At Tufts, almost 50% of students study abroad, and we have some really amazing Tufts Programs Abroad as well as over 150 external programs that students can participate in. Tufts has programs in the UK, Spain, Chile, Japan, France, and more! Meanwhile, the external programs (those not run by/through Tufts) take place in dozens of countries including Portugal, Botswana, Cambodia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, and beyond. 

 

During the fall of my sophomore year, I attended the Tufts Global Education Fair, which hosts both internal and external programs. In all honesty, I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of options at my disposal. I went home after the fair with a lot of questions and not a lot of answers, so I decided to make a list of what was important to me when choosing a study abroad program. Here is my list, in no particular order: 

1. Place

2. Education

3. Proximity to an airport 

4. Language

5. Price 

6. Homestay vs. dorm 

While there are many other questions you can ask yourself about where to study abroad, these were a few that helped me narrow down what seemed like an endless number of possibilities. Spoiler alert: I decided to study in London at UCL (University College London) through the Tufts in London Program. Using these questions, here is how I came to that conclusion. 

 

For a while, I thought I wanted to do a language immersion program in Madrid. I wanted to have the homestay experience and really immerse myself in Spanish culture and language; however, academically, it didn’t really make much sense for me to study in Spain. I wouldn’t have been able to take any classes for my English major, and I was already almost finished with my foundation and distribution requirements, so in the end, that semester wouldn't have contributed much towards my degree. Though I didn’t get to study in Madrid, I was able to visit when I studied in London, which was so much fun! 

 

Additionally, I always knew I wanted to study abroad in a big city, because I wanted to have a truly urban university experience. Some cities I considered included: Madrid, Edinburgh, London, Copenhagen, Sydney, and Melbourne. In the end, my top two choices were London and Edinburgh. London is one of the biggest cities in the world, and has many major airports that I could fly out of to travel to other places around Europe, so that gave it a big check mark from me. 

 

Another big factor was, of course, education. As an English major, it didn’t really make sense for me to go to a country to study English literature where the language wasn’t English. I also really wanted to experience solely studying English for a semester. In the UK, you focus on one subject, so that was also a big reason why I chose the UK. Finally, in my opinion, there really is no better place to study English literature than, well, England. 

 

Tufts has partnerships with six universities in London: University College London (UCL), University of the Arts London (UAL), Queen Mary University, London School of Economics (LSE), Royal Holloway University, and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). In the end, I was torn between Queen Mary and UCL, and a lot of my decision came down to location. UCL is in the Bloomsbury district, right in central London. UCL also boasts one of the best English programs in the world. 

 

Price was important as well. Studying abroad is not cheap, and though I wanted to make the most out of my experience, I also didn’t want to break the bank. Something great about Tufts' internal programs is that all of the financial aid you receive transfers to your study abroad program. Regardless of their financial need, all of the Tufts in London students were given generous stipends, which helped offset the costs of living in an expensive place like London. 

 

The last factor, which is a bit harder to calculate, is what I’m calling pull. I had felt drawn to London for a long time, whether because of my love of British literature, period dramas, or The Great British Baking Show, I’m not sure, but what I do know is that I had an unexplainable pull to London. If you’re thinking about studying abroad somewhere and you, too, have experienced this call to a place, listen to it! I could not be happier that I chose to study in London. I learned so much, met some amazing people, and, though it’s cliché to say, I did return home a changed person.