Christine Raj | UCB Study Abroad

What led you to study abroad? Why did you choose your country/program?

I always knew that I wanted a study abroad experience to be part of my college experience. However, as a STEM major, there is very little time in my class schedule to study abroad when very few study abroad programs offer me the courses I need. My summer abroad in Sussex allowed me to take both Physics courses that I needed for a grade. It allowed me a study abroad experience and a way to take the courses I needed.

What was the most interesting cultural experience you had abroad?

The most interesting cultural experience I had abroad was the football scene. I was in England during the world cup in a year where England went all the way to the semi-finals, much farther than they were expected to go. To be able to go out to pubs and watch the games with the locals and learn all their football chants and see how invested they were in the game was so much fun.

What was the biggest challenge/concern of your study abroad experience? How did you respond?

The biggest challenge of my study abroad experience was the actually studying that I had to do for my course. It was difficult to separate the things I wanted to do because I was in a different country and wanted to explore with the things I needed to do like studying. I think at the end of the day I just had to remind myself that I was first and foremost a student there and I needed to put the time and energy into my studies before I could go out and have fun.

Describe a typical day for you abroad.

I think there were two types of typical days, a weekday and a weekend. On a typical weekday I would go to class in the morning, have a 2 hour break then go to lab. After lab I would normally hang out with friends for a bit and then go find a study spot to study in for a while. Finally I'd have dinner and then go back to my dorm and chill out for the rest of the night. On a weekend I was normally always traveling. If I wasn't traveling I was in Brighton wandering around or in London hanging out with family.

What coursework did you take while abroad? How did courses abroad compare with Berkeley classes?

I took the equivalent of Physics 8A and 8B while abroad. The course work was easier than the courses in Berkeley but it does go at an extremely accelerated pace because of how short the sessions are. The labs are also very manageable and unlike Berkeley they are more focused on the methodology and the implementation of the lab than the actual analysis of the lab.

What was the most memorable/meaningful aspect of your time abroad?

While I was studying abroad my cousin was getting married in London. The most memorable thing for me was being able to go up the weekends before the wedding and hang out with family and be there for all the pre-wedding festivities. Also just being able to hang out with my cousins for a while throughout the summer was a lot of fun.

What impact did studying abroad have on you personally?

Studying abroad gave me a lot more confidence in my competency to take care of myself. Traveling by myself and being on my own taught me that I was very independent and if I were ever in a sticky situation I'd be able to handle it.

What would you recommend to students considering studying abroad, especially to your country or program?

For people considering studying abroad in England I would highly recommend it because England is so close to all of Europe it is so easy to travel that it is one of the best places to be located. Also there is always some fun event happening in London or around England that will be great to participate in even if you don't want to travel far. For people considering the program I did I would highly recommend it because it is a great way to get courses that are normally not offered in study abroad programs for a grade and a great way to learn about how the schooling system in other countries works.