Category: 2019 Fall

2019 Fall, Academic Year

Thomas Salamon: Post 4

Thomas SalamonLondon School of Economics & Political ScienceLondon, EnglandFall 2019 I started writing this essay on the plane ride back from London. Here I sit, 2 months later, editing it and not knowing exactly where to take it. I remember sitting on the plane and watching the city disappear below me, thinking how I had just begun to hit my stride.  The front entrance of my dorm was across a walking-only street from a converted industrial revolution era factory, with towering windowless brick walls. The Tate Modern, situated on the bank of the Thames river, provided a commanding view of central London.   The Tate had an amazing […]

2019 Fall, Semester

Will Driskill: Post 4

Will Driskill Semester at Sea Fall 2019 My Study Abroad Experience It is hard to believe that four short months ago I started my study abroad experience in Amsterdam and now I am about to end it in San Diego, California. Thinking back on the past few months, I am just starting to realize how much of an impact my study abroad program has had on me. It’s not just the unique countries I have been to and the amazing food I have tried, but also the friendships and connections I have made along the way. Having the opportunity to […]

2019 Fall, Academic Year

Thomas Salamon: Post 3

Thomas Salamon London School of Economics & Political Science London, England Fall 2019 Thankfully, for me, the UK is an English-speaking country. That’s not to say that I would be uncomfortable had I studied somewhere I needed to learn the language; after all, I did fine in Germany two summers ago. I can say that learning advanced topics in mathematics and finance would be a lot more difficult if I had to learn a language as well. The classwork is pretty demanding, and mostly is taught in a way that you need to get the foundation yourself and use the […]

2019 Fall, Academic Year

Thomas Salamon: Post 2

Thomas Salamon London School of Economics & Political Science London, England Fall 2019 Every city has a pattern. Some are organized into grids- some about a central expressway or an intersection of those. Some are oriented in a way to divert traffic to certain districts. London is all of these. It’s a constant reminder of its rich history as an evolving city from the time of the Roman Empire. It isn’t in a grid of streets or even circled about a central location like many European cities. The river Thames cuts it in two, so it’s an easy reference point. […]

2019 Fall, Semester

Will Driskill: Post 3

Will Driskill Semester at Sea Fall 2019 As we enter our tenth day at sea, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Europe and Africa, and head towards South America, I am very aware that Semester At Sea is quite a different and unique study abroad experience. Unlike any other study abroad program, it offers a college semester traveling by sea on a large cruise ship to eleven different countries, and three continents in the span of three plus months. While on the ship, more than four hundred students are taking classes, studying, exercising, eating and socializing while traversing the globe. When […]

2019 Fall, Semester

Will Driskill: Post 2

Will Driskill Semester at Sea Fall 2019 It has been a little over a month now since I started my journey with Semester at Sea. It is hard to believe that I have already been to five countries in Europe and am now headed to the second continent with this voyage, Africa. Starting in Amsterdam a little over a month ago, I had no idea what to expect. I have never really done solo travel, let alone traveled to five completely different countries in such a short amount of time. Looking back now, it is amazing how much I have […]

2019 Fall, Semester

Will Driskill: Post 1

Will Driskill Semester at Sea Fall 2019 I started my Semester at Sea adventure about a month ago in Amsterdam, Netherlands and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Most of my travels before Semester at Sea have consisted of family vacations up and down the East coast. But, my travel bug really started several years back when I traveled to Pamplona, Spain to Run with the Bulls. For many, running with the bulls would be well outside their comfort zone, but I considered that to still be well within my comfort zone because, I traveled to […]

2019 Fall, Academic Year

Thomas Salamon: Post 1

Thomas Salamon London School of Economics & Political Science London, England Fall 2019 I only applied to one abroad program because I wanted it to improve upon the studies I was doing at Hampden-Sydney. I had already taken a May Term Abroad in order to study German with some fellow students of mine but when I chose to apply to the LSE, I knew it would be a different experience- for one, I was applying alone and wasn’t going to be abroad with a fellow Hampden-Sydney student. What I knew about the London School of Economics (and indeed, London at […]