WW Around the World - Coventry, England

Hey everyone! I hope you all are having a great semester at Penn--is it midterm time yet? I can't believe Fall Break is only in another week!

I just arrived in Coventry, England on Saturday to study at the business school at the University of Warwick. Previously, I was in Brighton, which is just south of London--at the University of Sussex participating in the "Sussex in September" Program. Penn requires some students studying in England to attend this September program in order to get an extra credit as most English universities start later than Penn and so the term is much shorter. I was there with 5 other Penn students and while there, I took one course titled "British Popular Culture". I had 6 hours of class each week for 3 weeks and had a presentation and 8 page paper at the end.

While I was in Brighton, I travelled to London on the weekends and saw all the usual tourist sites--Big Ben, Westminster, London Bridge, the Tower of London, Covent Garden, the London Eye etc. I took a river cruise down the Thames and also went to the Tate Modern Art Museum and the National Gallery (art museum).

I also went to Berlin, Germany for a weekend in September. I had a fantastic experience there. It is a city that is so rich in history! I visited the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag, and the Brandenburg Tower. I also walked around some trendy shopping districts and went to the largest department store in Europe, Wadewe! I really had a fun time--the people were so friendly and it was so cheap! It's so interesting to see the combination of an old city with new constructions.

Now that I am at the University of Warwick, I am taking 4 business classes to fulfill Business Breadths. I am taking Managing Organizations, Finance in New Ventures, Equality and Diversity, and Corporate Strategy. Each class meets once a week as a lecture and occasionally again as a seminar (which is equivalent to recitations at Penn). Hence, I only have about 8-10 hours of class and no classes on Monday or Tuesday. The reason for this is that in the UK, the students are encourage to do more "self-directed study". The lectures and seminars teach only the basic principles and then the students are expected to read and research further on their own. The assessment at the end of term for these classes will mainly be either 1 exam or paper. Like Saara, I'm nervous to see how this turns out. It's definitely a lot of pressure at the end! I haven't started classes yet but I will definitely discuss in a later blog how it compares to Penn.

My accomodation here is really nice. I am in a 5-person apartment-style dorm similar to a Penn high-rise. There are 5 individual bedrooms with a sink in each and then a communal bathroom and kitchen. I live with 2 girls from Germany, another American, and one British student. All but the British student are exchange students as well. Students here tend to cook a lot and rarely eat out, generally only at lunch in between classes. There is one other Wharton student studying here with me so we are taking similar classes and have been spending a lot of time together. We haven't met many local students yet but hope to meet some when classes start and by joining clubs.

The university is about 25 minutes by bus outside of Coventry and also about 20 miles from Birmingham which is the second biggest city in England outside of London. Coventry is 70 minutes by train from London and is in what is called the "West Midlands" of England. Most students live on campus here. The student union is incredible! They have a club that holds 2000 people! There are also various smaller clubs, bars, cafes, and restaurants. Each night, the student union holds a different theme night in the club with cheap cover, drinks, and music changing each night. Also on campus is an arts center with its own movie theater!

Next weekend, I am planning to travel to Edinburgh, Scotland and perhaps another weekend I will catch a football (soccer game)! I also hope to travel to other continental Europe cities as well.

As of now, the only bad thing I can say about my abroad experience is the weather-always raining!--and the exchange rate (the pound is almost twice the dollar). Nonetheless, I am excited to take business classes in a different environment and meet more international students!

I will write again soon! Enjoy the rest of the semester!

Natalie