England: Noah Chung

Program: IES Direct Enrollment – City St George’s, University of London, Spring

Noah’s Major: Business

How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?

Academics in London are a lot different than UW-Madison. I would say the difficulty of courses and amount of work is much greater at UW-Madison courses. Compared to having homework and a couple of exams throughout the year at UW-Madison, at City University you have one or two exams or papers. With that being said, the expectation is much more on you to do your own learning outside of class. There are no quizzes or homework to ensure that you are keeping up with the content. It is very important you discipline yourself and stick with the content of the course, otherwise you will be in big trouble when you take the exams that make up the majority of your grade.

What is the moment you are most proud of?

The moment I am most proud of was getting out of my comfort zone and joining a local creative football team in London. Through a friend who lives here, I was able to connect with a football team that combines fashion with playing football. My teammates were from all over Europe, but mostly British. I am proud of this because I had to really put myself out there to meet people who were not like me at all. In the end, it was my favorite part of my week. I ended up becoming great friends with my teammates and also getting exercise at the same time!

What is your advice for someone considering your program?

My advice to people considering this program is to not stick with people that you are comfortable with. It can be easy to make friends with Americans and other UW students in your program, but this way you become less immersed into what it is like to live in London. Try to befriend other students at City University that are not from the US and learn about their unique experiences.