First Week DOWN.

It is now the weekend here in London and I have completed my first full week of classes. My British friends just finished their finals, which are after their holiday, and the rest of my American friends start class Monday. My run in with the European education system has been interesting to say the least and there are definitely pros and cons to each, which I will neatly write out for you all.

PROS.

-       The classes are only once a week! Also, for almost all science classes, they are in the morning, so we have a lot of time in the afternoon.

-       For undergraduates, there is almost no opportunity for research…which for a person who has been dying in SuperLab back at Haverford, this is a nice vacation.

-       There is like no homework? It is hard describe, but basically the ‘tutors’ (or as we know it, the professors) assign recommended short readings that are never discussed in class. No one really does any work here unless a paper or test is coming up. This is a HUGE difference from American schools.

-       Speaking of papers and tests, there are only one or two a semester. Most of my classes have a poster presentation or 5-page paper and a final exam. No real assignments in the middle.

-       Class sizes range from 14-100 people here and we are in it with all British students (which is different from some other study abroad programs).

CONS.

-       For only being once a week, the classes are 2.5-5 hours long. Let’s just say caffeine is a must before class.

-       For every lecture there is a different professor, as they bring in specialists from the field we are discussing in class. The con about this is that you never really become close with any one professor. They don’t care about your name or interests, which is a huge difference from Haverford.

-       Even though there are only 2 real assignments, they count for A LOT. For example, one of my classes has a poster project that is 20% of my grade and a 3-hour final worth 80%. The worst part about this is that so far my impression of British students shows that none of them do any studying until like 2 days before. While this is not any different from most American students, it is kind of scary to think that something worth 80% of your final grade can be pushed off until last moment.

-       Their grade system is the most confusing. Basically anything over a 60% is AMAZING and 40% is average. Hmmm…..

There has been a slight change in my schedule from what I mentioned before. Instead of taking regenerative medicine, I am taking physiology of exercise. After sitting through the class, I am real happy with the switch for it is just much more interesting to me and its not for 5 hours on a Friday.

Living in Southwark, or as we Americans like to call it ‘The Borough’ is a blessing to be honest. People may argue that ‘anything south of the Thames is run down and the ghetto’ and I would reply with the simple statement, ‘then you obviously haven’t spent much time here.’ My area is awesome in that while it is not touristy at all, we are only a 20-minute walk to Parliament and if you walk quickly, a 30-minute walk to Trafalgar Square. With the expensive tube rides, this has become such an advantage. Schools like UCL are in Camden, which is in a nicer Northern part of London, but nowhere near the heart of the city. As Kings College likes to prides itself on, “Kings is the most central university in London” and they could not be more right. I can wake up in the morning and run to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and then later walk to Parliament and the National Gallery. 

Just a normal view from The Borough!

Moreover, we are right down the street from the Borough Market. I recommend it to ANY person visiting London. Right now it is only open Thursday-Saturday and it provides fresh veggies, awesome cheese, Turkish delights, and fresh bread. There are so many different meats like quail, kangaroo, duck, rabbit, and ostrich. I have even seen squid there. The best part about the market is that each stand gives out free samples and it is a nice free meal. Just walking around the booths, you can try a variety of food and fill up.

Borough Market

Borough Market

So, Highlights of this week-

1. Going to the National Portrait Gallery- This gallery is actually right behind to the National Gallery and not highly visited. The museum houses portraits of all kings since Henry VI and up until Queen Elizabeth II. It’s just rooms of portraits of famous people ranging from Princess Charlotte to Michael Faraday.

The forbidden picture I took of Queen Victoria's Portrait

Banksy work near Oxford Street

1. Going on a Banksy scavenger hunt- Banksy is a famous street artist in London. http://www.banksy.co.uk/. No one knows who Banksy truly is and his art is hidden around the city. Our journey took us from Borough to Goodge Street to Oxford Circus to Old Street. While we all got lost multiple times looking for his work, we got to explore London in ways we could not have imagined. Walking around the streets we were like, “WHY HAVEN’T I HEARD ABOUT THIS PLACE?!” I have officially found so many museums, pubs, restaurants, and stores that I now need to check out. Also, I can now say I officially saw Banksy!

Banksy work off of Goodge Street

1. Going to Portobello Market- This market is only open on Saturdays and it mostly sells antiques. The shops were to die for and I wanted to spend all my money there, but alas I am not that rich and I do not have much suitcase room. But I know I will have to go back to get things for my sisters (I am already planning this out!).

Portobello Market near Notting Hill

1. My flat family dinner! Now that everyone on my flat has moved in and finished exams, they are much more sociable and willing to hang. Friday night we had a family dinner in which we all made a dish. I made a nice American dessert, which resembled smores (which they don’t have here!). I baked cookie dough flat on the bottom of a pan then on top of that put crushed cookies and marshmallows (which we then put back into the oven to melt). The food was a hit and now they think that is all we eat. My flatmates are all first years, or freshmen as we call it, but are still awesome. They have been giving me good music, good food, and good tourist recommendations. 
2. Hitting up four tea places. A friend of mine invested in a good book about the best tea places in London and our goal is hit up as many as possible. So far we have found four and have experienced amazing tea and scones. SO British, right?

One of the many tea places we stopped at. Shop is in the Theatre District.

GOALS OF THIS WEEK: Take my flat to Chipolte. They want to experience the burrito and I am so ready to assist them.

Haverford starts on Monday so it is weird that all my friends at home are going to be there without me. My study abroad junior friends from home are also starting to move into their respective schools and I cannot wait to hear about their adventures!