Lorraine Pereira

To be honest, the main reason I chose this program was because I wanted to get my physics requirements out of the way. I got so much more from this program!

After a midterm, my flatmates and I decided to go check out Karl Marx's tomb (located north of London). While paying tribute, we were interviewed by a few guys from the BBC! They were creating a radio documentary on the history of his tomb and the kinds of people that come to visit it. Go Bears!

I had a hard time managing time/prioritizing travel over work at first. I spent my first few weekends in and around Brighton, studying, going on small adventures, and figuring out how to manage my time/ what to prioritize when it came to studying. I studied way too much during these first few weeks, but kinda forced myself into the swing of things as my desire to travel and 'do more' became more pressing. Once I got into a good study routine (weekdays only!), I got a lot more out of my experience abroad!

There were the weekdays, and then there were the weekends. Both were packed. On weekdays, I mostly studied, cooked, and hung out with my flatmates. When we had spare time, we'd hike in the national park that surrounds campus. Weekends out of town were about sleepless. I was out exploring (going to museums, wandering, in transit, searching for vegan restaurants, and just 'experiencing') for about 16-18 hours each day.

I took 2 semesters of physics in my 8 weeks there. Physics at Berkeley is probably more rigorous in terms of content, but the timeline of the program at Sussex is a lot shorter/more intense in that way.

I took a solo trip to Madrid in the 5-day break between the two sessions. Easily the best few days of my life. I'm one of those 'off-the-beaten-path' wanderer types, which admittedly can get you into some dangerous situations. I lucked out, though, and found an abandoned-tobacco-factory-turned-art-gallery, community garden, vegan tapas, a cute vintage store, cheap & tasty wine, and a hipster coffee shop all in the span of a few hours on my second day there. Three close friends from different parts of my life (childhood friend, high school homie, and my freshman year roomie) happened to be in Madrid at the time, so I caught up, explored, discovered with them as well.

I came in determined to succeed academically above all, and didn’t anticipate being able to travel. Boy, were my expectations surpassed. I am so grateful to have studied abroad, for it gave me the ability to balance my schoolwork and my life experiences, and made me realize the value of those life experiences. Looking back on my liberating 5-day solo trip to Madrid or my 48 hours in Amsterdam gives me a vivacity for life; it has spurred me on to explore the great city of SF and even my own hometown in Iowa, for I came to realize that no matter where you go, there’s always an opportunity to discover, a great conversation to be had with a stranger, and a way of life to learn from. The result was a fall semester packed with experiences I will look back fondly years from now.

Hit up someone who has previously done this program to figure out the general exam schedule/ program timeline AND some homies you might be interested in traveling with ahead of time. :) Plan your weekend trips early accordingly to minimize travel costs. Also, Brighton's AMAZING: make sure you set aside time to experience its quirks to the fullest!