This past summer I had the immense pleasure of studying abroad in London/Bournemouth (UK). I took part in the program titled Forensic Anthropology and Human Identification. Given that my major is Anthropology (with a focus in Forensic Anthropology), this was the perfect opportunity to gain hands-on experience early within my career while simultaneously having the privilege to interact and get to know peers and professors within my desired field. This program was all I could’ve wished for and more. Therefore, I have broken up my experience into a couple parts

Class: While there, we took classes ANP 441 (Osteology and Forensic Anthropology)- 4 credits & ANP 491 (Topics in Anthropology)- 4 credits. In these classes we learned how to identify sex, age, stature, and ethnicity of skeleton remains. We were also taught about the different types of trauma (blunt force trauma, sharp force trauma, & bullet holes) and studied cases in which these types of trauma were present. These cases were real cases in which the professors took part, therefore, we had the luck of hearing first person testimonials straight from the source. Along with all that, we had also dove into basic bone biology/function, the stages of decomposition (& what may affect those stages), and much, much more. While in Bournemouth (week 3), we took part in a hands-on lab that lasted 7 hours each day, Monday through Wednesday. Though that may seem like a lot, we covered a detailed look into the parts of the human skeleton and were fully ready for the exam come that Thursday. The professors explained everything thoroughly and clearly, and the lectures were super interesting (perfect for those with an interest in forensics).

Exploring: Given we had a short period of time and a huge city/country to explore we kept ourselves busy adventuring around and visiting sites/attractions all day. Our lectures lasted 10am-12pm Monday through Friday, along with a “class” 2pm-4pm (This usually was a museum visit (The British Museum, Natural History Museum, Museum of London, Gordon Museum) or lecture inside the museum). Our 2pm-4pm “classes” were exploring opportunities in themselves, however, outside of these classes we made it our goal to become total tourists. Some of the places we visited throughout the month include: The London Eye, London Dungeon, Big Ben, Tower of London, London Bridge, Buckingham palace, Kensington palace, Bournemouth beach, The Wicked Theater production and much more! We also took a weekend trip to Edinburgh in Scotland where we visited the Edinburgh castle, the Edinburgh Dungeon, National Museum of Scotland, Palace of Holyroodhouse, we did a Harry Potter tour, walked Calton Hill, Arthur’s Seat, Royal Mile, and Edinburgh’s old town. There is so much to visit in the UK, there will never be a dull moment.

Food: The food was half the experience given that we were in charge of finding our own food. We all took this opportunity to try all sorts of food and new places each meal. One of my favorites foods while in the UK was mussels, along with many of their full English breakfasts. When we were in a rush, our favorite place to pick up a quick bite and coffee was Pret A Manger (they had the BEST croissants and sandwiches). The McDonalds in England is also delicious, they have many more sandwich options to choose from (such as an Italian burger with a pretzel bun). While in Scotland we all tried haggis and Scotch so that we could say we lived the authentic experience. There was not a place we didn’t enjoy while in the UK!

Name: Victoria Rackers
Status: Sophomore
Major: Anthropology
Hometown: Troy, Michigan
Program: Forensic Anthropology and Human Identification in the UK