Name: Caitlin Hanus
Major: Applied Accounting and Finance
Hometown: Long Valley, NJ
1) Why did you choose to study abroad in London?: Three reasons: first and foremost, I was absolutely terrified to do it! I knew that going to London would be difficult as it was a new city and I didn’t know many people in the program. Nevertheless, I decided that it was something I had to do for myself. Partly as a challenge to see if I could, and partly because I wanted to meet new people and broaden my horizons.
Secondly, London is an amazing city with so much to do and see! Fordham’s program is located in the heart of the city. Thirdly, I wanted to really see the world. I know how rare and fortunate it is to have several months to just travel and learn. I simply did not want to miss out on this opportunity.
2) What other countries have you travelled to so far?: Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Germany, Denmark, and France…With planned trips to Amsterdam and Switzerland still to come! I also really hope to travel to Ireland, Morocco, and Greece.
3) Which city has been your favorite to travel to and why?: My favorite city was Krakow, Poland. Not only was the city beautiful, but I became sentimentally invested. Both of my grandmothers were from Poland. When I visited, I brought letters that were written from my maternal great-grandparents to my remaining relatives in Poland. My great-grandparents had left before the war and settled in Ohio. They tried to assimilate to life in America as much as possible and as a result I’m not connected to my Polish roots.
While they were building a life in America, they kept in touch with my family in Poland. I was fortunate to have some of those letters translated for me. I learned that they had often sent money and aid that went to save the family sheep farm. It was amazing to learn about my family in a new way. I hope to go back to the village where my family is from and meet some of my relatives.
4) What are your classes and professors like?: My professors are phenomenal and I genuinely love all of my classes. My professors are incredibly diverse and really care about what they are teaching. I find the classes to be incredibly engaging and worthwhile. I learn something new every day and that’s really important to me. Of course I’m here to travel and have fun, but learning is really what I’m here to do. I’m taking five courses which is a regular workload. The main difference is that the classes only meet once a week for three hours. I really like this because it gives me the opportunity to travel frequently since I have off on Thursday and Friday.
5) How does your school in London compare/contrast to Fordham?: Both Fordham and Heythrop College, the school that we share a campus with, are Jesuit. They are both in relatively urban settings and accomplish the same task of educating students. Some differences include the appropriate way to address professors. It’s okay to address professors by their first name. This was a foreign concept to me and is something that I try to be cognizant of.
Another difference is the campus and dorms. As I mentioned, we share a campus with Heythrop College. The campus is much smaller in terms of the student body and physical space. It’s also a lot older. Additionally, we all live in flats off campus. This means that we can either walk, take the tube, or ride the bus to school. There are no meal plans so I cook most days which means that I have to walk to the grocery store. There is a lot of independence here and it really gives a sneak peak into adult life.
6) What is the first thing that you want to do when you get back to NY?: I cannot wait to drive!
7) Do you have a favorite memory from your time abroad? Why is it your favorite? I hesitate to call this my favorite memory, but one that sticks out in particular is bike riding in Copenhagen, although, admittedly, I did almost get hit by a bus. Denmark was the first country that I visited. I made the bold decision to rent a bike and use it as my means of transportation.
On my last day, I woke up very early and rode around at my own pace seeing everything one last time. I distinctly remember how cold it was; it even started drizzling. As I was riding, however, I just remember feeling so grateful to be there. I passed by Nyhavn and Christiansborg Palace just hoping that I would remember that feeling of freedom and happiness forever.
8) What has been the hardest thing about studying abroad for you? Study abroad is a lot of fun and the experiences really are priceless; I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Nevertheless, it isn’t always easy. My biggest challenge is being away from the people I love, specifically my family and my best friends at Fordham and at home. This experience has made me realize just how special they are and how much I value their friendship. It can be difficult to find people to share experiences with and this can happen for various reasons such as different travel schedules, travel styles, city preferences, friend groups, etc. At the end of the day study abroad is all about sharing experiences with others so it can be challenging when one of those reasons get in the way.
9) Describe London in three words: I’m not very good at this…the first words that came to mind were tea, corgi, and queen. Not sure how helpful that is…they are quite lame.
10) Do you have any advice for other students who are considering studying abroad? When you go abroad, don’t let anyone hold you back! This applies to friendships and relationships. If you want to study abroad, whatever your reason may be, just do it. It’s a great opportunity, one that should not be taken lightly. Those who truly love and support you will want you to go and will be waiting for you when you get home.
My next piece of advice is to say yes to everything. Go everywhere, eat everything, try it all! Meet and talk to as many people as you can. You only get to do this once so you better do it right. Everything can get a bit crazy when you’re juggling travel plans and school work, but if you remember to breathe and stay in the moment everything really does work out for the better.