The Journey

The number of times I mentioned or suggested to my college counselor that I’d like to study abroad for not just a semester but all four years of college probably bordered on harassment. When I was finally given the names of a few colleges such as The American University of Paris, Franklin University Switzerland, Royal Holloway, Richmond University, and a few others, I was ecstatic and immediately went home to bury myself in research. I finally felt like I was making some connections and developing…feelings about some colleges! Good feelings! Feelings of okay, wow, I actually might want to go here.

My parents were onboard. A lot of people have said to me, “Your parents are letting you go so far away? Mine definitely wouldn’t.” I wasn’t so surprised that they were considering letting me go — but there was a catch: they wanted to physically see where I would be going. So, in the August of 2015, my dad, mom, and I packed our bags (or in my dad’s case, five bags of various different size), drove to Toronto (not without incident; my dad left his phone back at the house but there was no way we were turning around…but his phone was the only one with an international plan on it), got on our flight with Air Transat and took off!

First Stop: Ireland (Trinity College)

My mom could not stop talking about Ireland. She’s Irish, it’s where her family is from, it’s in her blood! She had been there some time before I was born and could not wait to go back and show me all the things she loved so much. Since our first visit was at Trinity College, we stayed on campus in Dublin. It was a gorgeous dorm room, and an even more beautiful private campus located in an urban environment. I couldn’t have been more excited for our campus tour and information session. The tour-guide was a tiny Irish girl with a dark pixy cut who I believe was pre-law. She spoke very highly of the school and their activities, such as their renowned music festival. What I didn’t get a very clear understanding or picture of was Trinity’s academics.

At the information session, the first thing the presenter said immediately turned me off entirely from even wanting to apply: “Here at Trinity, we only accept the best of the best.” Okay, well, that’s great…but how freakin’ stingy? I wanted to go to a place where there was diversity and the school cared not just about the students academically but personally too. It was more than evident that Trinity College did not have a wholistic approach to their admissions, and I wasn’t okay with that. I didn’t want to be in a stressed out environment. So, although I loved the aesthetic and history of the school, I had to cross it off of my list.

Second Stop: Scotland (The University of St Andrews)

I had spoken to a former peer of mine who was headed to St Andrew’s before planning what colleges to visit. I hadn’t really known much about the university besides the fact that it was in Scotland and all three college counselors at my school (especially mine) were deeply in love with it. There were a few posters of it around the college office, but other than seeing those, I hadn’t given it much thought. If my friend was going, though, it must be a great place! I looked into it before visiting and they offered all the subjects I was interested in. They were renowned for their international relations program, which, at the time, was a major that I was very seriously considering. It seemed like a good fit and I hadn’t even visited yet!

So we drove from Edinburgh where we were staying, through the green countryside, and made our way to the quaint town of St Andrews on the coast of Scotland. I was hit with such a sense of home that I couldn’t shake it. It was like Chagrin Falls but on steroids. It was strange…it was the exact same atmosphere that I thought I wanted to run away from but it just felt so right, like I belonged there. I hadn’t gotten that feeling before. The tour-guide was quirky — she was an American from NYC and clearly loved the decision she had made to study very far away from home. After we left, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wanted to go there and how happy it had made me.

Third Stop: England (Royal Holloway and Richmond University)

I was very excited to go to England. My boyfriend lives in England and I honestly never thought I’d get out there to see him. Albeit, I wasn’t really there to see him (sorry, Rich). But still! I felt extremely happy just to know that we were in the same country and that I’d get to finally see London. I remember getting so jealous whenever I saw pictures of my friends on Facebook going to London and taking pictures near phone booths and amazing sights like Big Ben. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to go there.

Our first visit was to Royal Holloway and I was pretty excited. It looked gorgeous and it offered all of the subjects I was interested in studying. The admissions counselor who greeted me was named Poppy and she was so welcoming and kind. She assured me that admissions took a wholistic approach when accepting students. I felt like it was a real option for me. What I also liked about Royal Holloway was the fact that it genuinely felt like a college — maybe even an American college. It felt familiar somehow. The only problem was that I couldn’t apply through the Common App, and I genuinely had no clue where to begin with UCAS. They also told me that I would receive an unofficial offer if I was accepted in months before the UK students were, and only when they were sorted out would I know for sure if I was going. I wouldn’t have known until the middle of the summer or later where I was (or was not) going to college! Huge darn.

Next was…Richmond University. Okay, I went into the visit pretty enthusiastically and came out more unimpressed than ever. This was due to two main factors:

a) the university has two campuses. Why the hell would I want to get comfortable on one campus for two years and then go to a completely different environment to complete the next two? No thanks.

b) the tour guide was a mess. He was this kid from America who basically said that he didn’t have good enough grades to get in anywhere else so he applied to Richmond. What did that say about the school?!

Richmond was immediately crossed off of my list.

Fourth Stop: France (The American University of Paris)

I’d been anxious to go to France, or rather Paris, ever since I started taking French in the sixth grade. I fell deeply in love with French culture and the language (although I wasn’t particularly good at speaking it). Paris was called the city of love, and I could not wait to experience it…and experience it I did. I got a pretty good look at everything after my parents lost me on the subway where I got off on the right stop and they didn’t. Luckily, I had paid attention to where our hotel was, so after asking for some directions that I somehow understood, I found my way to our home in Paris!

The university was spread out around a small area of Paris. They didn’t have dorms, but rather the students were expected (with the help of the university) to find an apartment and sort of, well, fend for themselves. I really liked the idea of this but in retrospect, I think it would have put me into a state of right panic. I’m not a real adult, I can’t handle my money. I’d buy way too much cheese and fresh bread. And wine. I’d definitely blow all of my money on wine.

I think I liked Paris more than the university itself. The university didn’t offer much in the way of what I actually wanted to study and I wasn’t sure how I was going to find an internship when, well, I wasn’t fluent in French. And I’m sure that that would have changed over the years, I didn’t want to take the chance. So, unfortunately, I had to cross the American University of Paris off of the list, but it definitely wasn’t for a lack of fondness.

And so the journey ended.

I was sad to come home. I had seen so many incredible things and made so many memories. I finally knew what sort of school I was looking for, and I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to go…