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 More information on programs in the UK
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 Travel Bug Got You?What can you learn abroad that you can’t learn here at the UC system? Plenty. I found the academic system at the University of Birmingham quite different from the UC quarter system. The two terms with a third for assessments, which was hard to comprehend at first, became a welcome change from the rigid eleven-week UC routine. At first, UC students may feel like the number of classes that they are required to attend is very little compared to the 14-18 units we normally struggle through at home. But instead of classes, you study for the assessments (all of your finals in May are worth a mere 100 percent of your grade!) or do research for a 20-page paper that requires more than a stroll or ten to the library. I became a regular patron to the library, as did many of the other students studying abroad. It almost became a meeting place. “What are you doing research for today?” was the question of the year among my flat mates and me. The people you meet, and your travels outside the university make each day abroad special and memorable. Day trips to Bath, Oxford, and London not only add pictures to your scrapbook, but also clothes to your wardrobe. And nothing can compare to dodging a moped in the crowded streets of Paris, seeing the eyes of Michelangelo’s David while standing at the foot of the statue in a museum, or walking through the cobbled streets of Munich on your way to an eventful night at the original Hofbrauhaus. No matter what your appetite for food and travel, traveling abroad can cure your craving. I’m sure you will learn more than you ever could have anticipated during your travels. Bon voyage! —Jasmine Yep, UC Irvine |