My experience
I wanted to complete a short term experience to move outside of my comfort zone and become more engaged in the world, whilst expanding my knowledge through a summer school module.
How has the experience changed you?
The experience has positively affected me in every way. I loved being able to develop myself as an independent person. UCL is situated in the heart of London, so being able to explore the city before and after class was an amazing perk. I also made so many amazing friends from across the world through the summer school program, the student accomodation and attendance at student events. I was able to find more confidence in myself as a person and I loved being able to interact with new people. It was incredible to attend a university that is so highly regarded, and is currently sitting at 8th in the world. The facilities for students were so amazing, with a plethora of libraries, cafe's and park spaces to spend free time in. The faculty was also so helpful and highly regarded in their fields. I took the module entitled Corporate Social Responsibility and my lecturer was so engaging and taught us a wealth of knowledge on the subject. She invited us to a panel consisting of corporate governance and human rights experts from around the world (including high profile academics, lawyers and practitioners), we also attended an excursion at a highly regarded international human rights law firm - which was a once in a lifetime experience. Whilst at UCL you really feel like you're one of the full-time students and you have the same access to every facility and event as they do. The summer school team also work hard to make sure that your experience is as positive as possible and organise a range of events to participate in. This study abroad experience really allowed me to come out of my shell and experience the world in a new way. I was able to make friends for life and further my academic knowledge and skills in beautiful London!
Favourite memory
My favourite memory is riding bikes after class through Hyde Park with my friends, at the time Bob Dylan was holding a concert in the centre of the park so we could hear him as we rode around & the entire experience was magical.
Top tips
I would advise future participants to push themselves to get as involved as possible, put yourself out there to meet friends and attend events. I would also encourage you to reach out and speak with the faculty because they love the students to participate, I was able to collaborate with UCL on an instagram day in the life takeover, along with all of my friends- which was a super exciting experience.