Studying abroad in the UK

[wanderlustingg]

Hi all,

I'm studying abroad in London, England next Fall. I will be going for a full school year and I know that there are SO many things I should see. The only problem is- I don't know what a lot of those things are. I love history and literature so I would like to see things having to do with those subjects (along with other things as well). I

Comments

[blondeleo]

LUCKY YOU! I studied abroad in York for a year, and hands-down, it was the best experience of my life.
You should visit (if you can): YORK(!), Oxford, Salisbury, Edinburgh. There is loads to see in each of those places. As for London, well, you can't go wrong. There's amazing history/English stuff on almost every corner. Try to catch a show or two too. Travelling Europe is a must - as much as you can squeeze in! EasyJet has amazing deals, and you'll be amazed by how quickly you'll become accustomed taking the train everywhere.
As for what to buy on arrival... I bought a hair dryer, and some make-up stuff. You don't need much else than what you bring. Just remember chargers and adapters. And some bits of home! Before I left, for a year my friends had been secretly compiling a scrapbook for me of all photos, anecdotes, letters from family and teachers, and Canadiana. I bawled upon receiving it, and it was the very best thing I had to stave off homesickness!

[wanderlustingg]

Aw that's the cutest thing ever! And thanks for all of the great suggestions!!

[skidspoppe]

England is civilized and you really won;t know what you're missing until you get there. I'm American but live in LIthuania (and if you want to come and visit...) and peanut butter was something I missed (it's not popular here at all!) so I have friends sending from back home.

Aside from that, yeah, bring adapters and things which remind you of home and friends. Visiting-wise, depending on what kind of history and literature you like you can set-up many adventures to visit your historical and literary heroes.

when you;re over, take advantage of the travel opportunities! As a student (under 26?) you can get some amazingly inexpensive eurail passes which allow you to travel a lot. Also there are several really low rent airlines to take you all over europe.

If you have more questions, I can offer ex-pat advice if needed.

[wanderlustingg]

I've looked up Eurail and I am bookmarking the site as well! I absolutely love how inexpensive flight and rail travel is in Europe! Most definitely taking advantage!

[artforgod]

Live in London (UK born & bred!) - you will not have time to do everything you want to !!! Lots of history!

Berlin a good jaunt from London - but many other options (dublin, paris, even budapest copenhagen, barcelona, etc etc) !!!

Maybe bring some of your favourite US sweets to cover any home sickness in first week or so!!

Cheap things to do(most gaalleries free for permanent exhibitions) but alos can be expensive - depends on your tastes!

If you have any specific questions about what to bring etc or "how tos" please drop a line

[wanderlustingg]

Will do! Thanks a bunch!

[aislingsullivan]

I studied abroad in London for a year, and it was absolutely the most wonderful experience of my life!! I wish I had packed more warm clothes. I'm from San Francisco and unfortunately that year was the coldest winter in 50 years :( Also you won't need many heels - those cobblestone streets tore up a vintage pair I brought. Try to pack basics that you can layer, and very sturdy shoes. You can always buy a few cute new things (you'll want to anyway if you're at all into fashion

[wanderlustingg]

WOW! I just looked up random roundtrip flights on both flights to Paris from London and EasyJet had it for 63 pounds round trip!! RyanAir had a flight to Venice for around the same price as well! I am most definitely bookmarking these for further use! Thank you so much!

[silentseanymph]

If you're into history, you have to go to Westminster Abbey. SO MANY FAMOUS DEAD PEOPLE! London is stuffed to the gills with historical stuff, so you'll have no trouble finding stuff to do. I'd suggest maybe doing a free walking tour or similar when you get to London, just to get a basic feel for where some of the interesting stuff is, and then go from there. Also, make time to catch a show or two. The London theater scene is world-class and not to be missed.

As others have said, keep an eye on the Ryanair and Easyjet websites for deals on mega-cheap tickets to elsewhere in Europe. But don't overlook things that are closer to home. I highly recommend Scotland (but I'm living and studying in Edinburgh at the moment, so I'm biased), Ireland, and some of the other cities in England. York and Bath are both gorgeous.

[wanderlustingg]

Oh, I'm definitely planning on taking in a show or two. I really would like to see The Phantom of The Opera while I'm there, at least! And I have heard a lot of people say that while travelling through Europe is super fun, travelling through England is fun as well and I definitely plan on taking that to heart! Thanks for all of the suggestions!