Submitted by Nicholas Valent on the 2017 summer session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Art and Design …
I am in disbelief that my study abroad program to London is over. It has been such an amazing time and I learned so much here. I learned more specifically about what I do and don’t want to do in terms of my career path. I have become interested in so many things, that I would like to explore further. I gained experiences that I would have never gotten anywhere else. These visits and talks have had a big influence on me and I am so glad that I decided to go on this study abroad program.
The biggest impact of this program for me was definitely more personal. I went from this nervous, anxious person who has never been on an airplane and worried non-stop about everything. The furthest I had ever traveled was to Disney World. I was never away from my family for more than four days. After this program, I became this person who has ridden on an airplane six times and does not give flying a second thought. A person who has been to three foreign countries, and one of those was a non-English speaking country. Someone who has swam in the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea. Someone who is confident enough in themselves to go to new places and have the ability to get myself around. Someone who took advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity, who before would have been too scared to do a quarter of what I did on this program.
When I look back on this study abroad program, I cannot believe that I actually did it, but am so happy I did. If I could offer any advice to someone who is contemplating going abroad, it is to go for it. It seems terrifying and there are going to be times that you do not want to be there and you will get very homesick. Those few moments suck, but after it is over, you will be so glad that you actually went on this adventure and it will truly change your life.
