2022 Spring, Academic Year

Franz Gilbert: Post 4

Franz GilbertLondon School of EconomicsLondon, EnglandFall 2021 Study View for Formatives I am back in the United States for the next few weeks for the holidays and am extremely excited to get some much-needed rest. As I mentioned in my previous blog, the formative assignments are extensive – taking up considerable time – and that routine did not let up into my last week at LSE. I ended up spending a lot of time on campus studying, and you can see the views are amazing. Until I was on the plane, I was in a constant state of running from […]

2021 Fall, Academic Year

Franz Gilbert: Post 3

Franz GilbertLondon School of EconomicsLondon, EnglandFall 2021 The Social Side:Since my last blog, a lot has happened. I have had some fantastic experiences with my fellow General Course students in the City of London. For example, I have visited Saville Row, the premier place in London, if not the world, for Bespoke suits. Realize that this is not just about the suit, but also the experience. The fitting rooms do look like the James Bond or Kingsmen movies – and the options are amazing, “would you like tortoiseshell buttons?” These suits run several thousand dollars. I went for my first […]

2021 Fall

Tanner Voliva: Post 3

Tannner VolivaUVA ValenciaValencia, SpainFall 2021 Buenos días from Valencia! As my study abroad experience closes in on the remaining few weeks, I’ve begun to reflect on what all has occurred during my time in Spain. Over the course of just a couple of months, I have had the chance to grow as a person. I feel as though this opportunity has – and still is – giving me the chance to find myself and find my form of authenticity as a human being. I’ve been learning that I am perfectly fine traveling and finding new places to go on my […]

2021 Fall

Franz Gilbert: Post 2

Franz GilbertLondon School of EconomicsLondon, EnglandFall 2021 A Pandemic Beginning: Since being in London, I have been able to only experience life as a student in self-isolation. On my first day of classes, I was greeted with an unwelcomed email informing me that I need to isolate due to someone on my floor contracting a breakout case of the virus. Before my isolation, I was able to explore the city and see some marvelous sites and I look forward to continuing my sightseeing adventures. There are several Americans in the program, so it has been fun to talk with them […]

2021 Fall

Tanner Voliva: Post 2

Tanner VolivaUVA ValenciaValencia, SpainFall 2021 Hola from Valencia! After spending about a month in Spain, I have come to find many new aspects about Spanish culture, American culture, and new aspects about myself! It’s quite interesting to see how all of these interact with each other and how they make me view life here in Valencia, Spain. One brand new aspect of life for myself is that of the daily commute; before arriving in Spain, I had never taken public transportation before! However, I now use the public metro as a way to arrive at the University and the public […]

2021 Fall

Franz Gilbert: Post 1

  Franz GilbertLondon School of EconomicsLondon, EnglandFall 2021   Why I decided to go to LSE:I have wanted to attend the London School of Economics since I was a Junior in High School visiting Hampden-Sydney. I heard a speaker at a leadership program discussing his time with the “General Course.” Since then, I have had a one-track mind to get there. When I first arrived on the H-SC campus, I was eager to meet those who attended LSE and hear what they had to say. Funny enough, the last three people who attended the General Course became my dear friends […]

2021 Fall

Tanner Voliva: Post 1

Tanner VolivaUVA in ValenciaValencia, SpainFall 2021 Greetings from Valencia, Spain! My name is Tanner Voliva and I’m a senior here at Hampden-Sydney College. Given that I am a Spanish major, I knew I would be studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, so I decided to look into the programs that were being offered during this time. The more I talked with native speakers, the more I was advised to study in Spain, as Spain has the more proper Spanish. After brushing through the programs, I found the UVA in Valencia program! This program had many different options for courses and […]

2021 Summer

Zac Richman: Post 4

Zac Richman: Post 4ISA 2021Florence, Italy A list of advice for studying abroad1. Do it! The experience is more valuable than any dollar amount.2. If you fail, try again. I had 4 programs cancelled before my Florence study abroad worked out.3. Learn a little of the language wherever you are going. As Italy was my 5th choice, I learned almost no Italian before I went. Studying on a plane doesn’t actually work out so great when you sleep through most of it. 4. Get out of your host country at least once. If you can’t, get out of your host […]

2021 Summer

Zac Richman: Post 3

Zac Richman: Post 3ISA 2021Florence, Italy I tried a lot of new foods while I was studying abroad. Even though I was in Italy, a lot of traditional Italian dishes as we imagine them are not traditional at all. First, meat and pasta almost never go together. They’re served separately as primi piatti and secondi piatti. No spaghetti and meatballs and very light servings of sauce, the pasta shouldn’t be drowning in the meat. They also don’t cut your pizza. Some very old school Italian pizzerias don’t cut your pizza here either and that’s how it’s done in Italy. This […]

2021 Summer

Zac Richman: Post 2

Zac RichmanISA 2021Florence, ItalyAugust 7, 2021 My commute to class every day was filled with history that I sometimes ignored out of habit, as I became more familiar with the city. My bike ride from Via Venezia 2 to Via Ricasoli 21 became much more routine, after I learned to stop taking the bike down the 600 year old cobblestone roads. My bike was a rental I usually picked up from my walk to the city center, which I did most days. I had Florence to myself, until 3pm every day, so there was plenty of time to grab brunch […]