My program abroad was the first time I have ever left the United States. While England is still a Western and English-speaking country, I encountered so many different sights and met many different people. It was definitely one of the most wonderful experiences I have had in my lifetime. I have always enjoyed traveling and it had been my goal to travel abroad for years. During my freshman year at Michigan State, I attended the Study Abroad Expo and discovered the “Film in Britain” program. Because I am pursuing a career in the film industry, I knew this program would be the best for me. So, I saved up and with the additional help of scholarships, I was able to attend the program a couple years later.

During my time abroad, I found the travel to be as enriching as my courses. While I stayed within the United Kingdom during my program, there were so many different things to see and do. As time went on during my program, I found I was more comfortable going to places on my own. This was perhaps my favorite part of my time abroad. There were many days I decided to step away from the group and spend the day reading in Hyde Park or exploring the different museums in the area. One night, I decided to book a train to Oxford for the next morning. I hopped on the early train and took a solo day trip to the campus. There, I went on a hike along the canal and watched all the boats go by. I explored the historical sights of the city. I read my book at a coffee shop and later stopped for dinner before catching the train back to London. Additionally, on the last week of my program, I decided to book a tour to the English countryside. It had always been a goal of mine to go into the villages in the Cotswolds so I was so excited to finally travel there. We went to four beautiful villages throughout the day. During lunch, I sat with two women I have never met before, both of whom were also solo travelers for the day. We talked about our hometowns and all the things we have seen in the UK. I think my few solo day trips abroad proved to me that I am capable of traveling alone in the future. I have always been a shy person so I was proud of myself for putting myself out there in order to go to the places I wanted to see. I found navigating to be surprisingly easy and I was so glad to meet other people from around the world who were also traveling alone.

Because of my time abroad I am much more open to traveling solo in the future. I hope to return to Europe very soon. I feel so much more comfortable navigating through different cities and transportation in general. This program really allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and see everything I had wanted to.

Name: Sophie Wolcott
Status: Senior
Major: Media and Information; Minor: Fiction Filmmaking
Hometown: Howell, Michigan
Program: Film in Britain