Sydney Ingram

Overall Experience
5/5

Major
English, Creative Writing

Hobbies
Reading, writing, traveling

Hometown
Springfield, MO

Where did you study?
London

Name of program
Missouri-London Program

Why did you choose to study there?
I wanted to go to a big city and London was a natural choice. It's full of history and culture and a perfect place to be to get to see where Literature of today came from.

What courses did you choose to enroll in?
Understanding Modern Britain, Romantic Poets, Contemporary British Film, and Theater Appreciation in London.

How did you pay for your study abroad experience?
I used money from a college fund as well as UMKC scholarships and a scholarship from CAPA International.

Did you use some sort of financial aid, scholarship or fellowship?
Yes

What was your living situation?
The flats in London were amazing. They were a lot better than what I expected. We had two bedrooms for four people, a living room, TV, full kitchen with dishwasher and a washer and dryer. I shared a room with another girl from Missouri.

What did you do for fun?
I loved to ride the Tube, London's underground system. Most museums in London are free and so close to our flat so I went to a lot of them. Saturdays have open markets, such as Portobello Market and Burough Market. I went to play and did a lot of shopping.

Favorite aspect of your trip?
I got to travel all the time. Having no class on Fridays, I went to Edinburgh, Scotland for a weekend. For Spring Break, my friends and I went to Milan, Florence, and Rome over ten days. London was so accessible and getting around the city was very easy so even if I didn't leave the city, there was always something to do.

Challenges you faced?
Having never been in a city bigger than Kansas City, I had to learn how to use public transportation and adapt to living in a vibrant, living place. The English culture is very similar to ours, as well as being completely different. Learning the ways to function was the biggest challenge.

Advice or helpful tips for future students?
The best advice I can give is, "It's not weird, it's different". Study abroad is all about learning how other people live so don't bring your American customs too much into your new city. People do things differently and you should learn to adapt to their ways and have fun!

What is one thing you would change about your experience?
I would have wanted to stay longer. Every other aspect was amazing. All the little things were overlooked because I was in London.

Is there a funny or memorable story you would like to share from your experience?
While on Spring Break in Milan, my roommate lost her wallet. On our way home around 3 am, some people stopped us and said they'd found her wallet and that we could pick it up from the bar where she'd left it. The next day we went back and got her wallet, money, phone and cards still in it.

Something interesting you learned about the town you lived in?
London isn't as old as I thought. Most of it had been rebuilt after WWII.

Would you be willing to allow students to contact you via email with any questions regarding your study abroad experiences?
Yes, at saithf@mail.umkc.edu