Jamie Agnew: Post 2

By twright2017 Fall, Academic Year

Jamie Agnew
London School of Economics
London, England
Fall 2017

Harrods in London.
Harrods in London.

Everything has been going great over on this side of the pond. Classes are really picking up pace, which is keeping me busy. LSE has classes and lectures for each class. Lectures are two hour presentations on the material, and you are normally with 200-300 other kids. Classes feel much more like Hampden-Sydney because there are only 20 kids in each class and it is much more interactive. The nice thing about lectures is that they don’t take attendance because they are recorded online, so you can watch them at your own convenience. That is a big plus because I have two lectures on Friday, which I don’t like going to and therefor can watch them on Sunday. Wednesdays are my full-days off, which is common over here because they like to allow    sports teams to practice on Wednesday afternoons.

Big Ben at sunset.
Big Ben at sunset.

So with all that being said, I only walk to school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The walk is about 25 minutes door to door, which seems like a lot, but it is actually a very enjoyable walk. I’m living on the south side of the River Thames, and LSE is on the north side, so I walk across the Blackfriars Bridge everyday. I could technically take the tube, but it would take the same time door to door and would cost more. Plus, it is great exercise to walk.

Two friends from home (Washington D.C.). Vincent Kardos (center) and Jim Hurston (right).
Two friends from home (Washington D.C.). Vincent Kardos (center) and Jim Hurston (right).

The dorm I am living in is called Bankside House. There are only LSE students living there, but I don’t really know that many kids in it. Most of my friends live in the other housing options around the city. I have a single room with an en suite bathroom, which I enjoy a lot. I have had a roommate the last couple years, and it’s nice to have a room to myself for once. The room is much bigger than the ones at Hampden-Sydney.  Bankside House is in Southwark and is directly behind the Tate Modern. I prefer my location to all the other housing options because it is quiet. The area that I live in used to be considered a bad part of town, but in the last 20 years it has really changed for the better, making it a very trendy place to live.

View from the rooftop of Urbaneast. My friends dorm.
View from the rooftop of Urbaneast. My friends LSE dorm.

The culture in London is much different than the United States and much different than Hampden-Sydney. Everyone wears dark, skinny clothes. No one wears shorts. Chuck Taylors are the most common shoe. And, no one wears baseball hats. It is quite intriguing to see the differences in fashion on both sides of the pond. I would say I have conformed somewhat to the way people dress over here, but there are certainly things that still make me stand out as an American. Given all of this, I wish I hadn’t packed some of my pink and red polo shirts, because I haven’t worn them once. It will certainly be interesting when I return home, because I will have to change my style back to the US style.