This summer I went to London alone to take a three week fashion design course. As a pre-law English major, it may seem strange that I spent my summer studying a completely different subject, but it was truly the best decision I have ever made. I boarded the plane not knowing what to expect, hoping I would make friends, and excited to be a fashion student, even if it was just for a month. I left London with a new way of thinking, friends from around the world, and more prepared for my future in the legal field. Here are three reasons you should consider using study abroad to learn about something completely new.
1. Growth happens outside of your comfort zone
After completing my first year of college, I was comfortable. I had established a routine, knew what to expect in a college classroom, and was confident in my ability to study and succeed in my classes. I still don’t think that this is “bad” and know it is completely normal to become comfortable in an education system that is familiar.Â
However, at Central Saint Martins, I was met with a completely new way of teaching and learning. The “classroom” was in London’s museums and in drawing and sewing studios once occupied by Alexander McQueen. The library was stocked with almost every edition of Vogue. The grading was holistic and the instruction was centered on individual questioning, challenging, and feedback. My peers were actual fashion students from around the world, and my commute to class was not just a walk past the University of Connecticut’s quaint Mirror Lake, but a ride on London’s Victoria Line. Everything was new, which forced me to be open to change and growth. By leaning into the newness of the course, I got comfortable exploring London, making art even if it wasn’t always good, and trusting myself. This allowed me to prepare for law school by developing confidence in a new education setting even though I was studying fashion.
2. Art school develops soft skills
As a pre-law student, skill development is essential to my undergraduate experience. Although my major in English and extracurricular involvement has strengthened my reading and critical thinking skills, being in an art school for three weeks developed so many soft skills.
As the only English major in my class, I brought an understanding of narratives to fashion design but quickly learned that being an art student required my taste, judgement, and excitement to guide my learning. Instead of being told to do a reading, I researched by drawing, painting, and collaging the striking images I saw in museums. I took hundreds of images and curated them to tell a story, and then tested my ideas by draping fabric on a dress form. In all of these exercises, I had to think critically, analyze sources, argue my theory, communicate, and experiment. Each class, I was critiqued by different instructors and had to reflect on my design. Through that process of questioning myself, I learned more about project development than ever before in my life.Â
Even though I will not be pinning fabric together in law school, I will be met with criticism, challenges, and an excess of information to sort through. Studying fashion taught me how to be able to commit to a project and adapt at the same time. Those creative problem-solving abilities I developed are already influencing the way I approach my classes, and will stay with me throughout my journey in the legal field.Â
3. To be surrounded by a completely new group of people
Despite all of the lessons I learned in the classroom, the best part of my study abroad experience truly was the people I met. For the first time in my life, I was the only person from Connecticut in my classroom, and I loved every second of it. The community of creative, diverse, and passionate people held a contagious energy. Long days in the studio were balanced by late nights watching Love Island together at the dorm. I found connection with people from around the world and I carry these friendships with me every day. I feel so lucky to have found a space of talented and driven artists that will always inspire me. If the new city and course content are not enough to convince you to study abroad, let it be the potential for new friendships.
now is the time to explore your passions
I studied fashion this summer because it is something I have always been interested in. That little part of me that always wanted to know what it would be like to be a fashion student guided me to a summer that I will never forget. London was full of beauty, culture, and fun, but it also is a place I will always associate with growth, learning, passion, and friendship. If my time abroad proved anything, it is that professional and personal development does not have to look like any one thing. Having a nontraditional study abroad experience really showed me that college truly is a great time to explore all of your passions.