London Through the Eyes of a Carleton Student

Kate picks her favorite memories and photos from her recent study abroad experience in London.

Admissions Blog London Through the Eyes of a Carleton Student

When I came back from studying abroad this past term, everyone wanted to know how it was. The thing is, it’s really hard to explain what studying abroad is like. I could tell you that I went on the Living London program with 20 other Carleton students and one professor, or that we were studying English and Theater. But honestly, that doesn’t get to the heart of what it was like to live in another country for 10 weeks. So I’m going to show you, through a series of photos, the highlights of my study abroad experience.

A girl sitting on a bed and smiling — Day one in the flat! I lived in a double with my roommate from the fall

Seeing 22 Shows in 10 Weeks (+4 more on my own with cultural budget)

A ticket stub in front of stage — One of my favorite shows, *Otherland*. I ended up sitting next to the Assistant Director!

A program for Oedipus in front of a stage door sign — We waited for about an hour to meet Rami Malek but he did not show 🙁

Weekly Tours for Urban Field Studies (and some bonus indoor tours)

Two girls with vests that say "Backstage Tour" — Theater tour with these cool vests

Four girls in hard hats smiling — And these snazzy hard hats…

Exploring London (outside of class)

A cemetery in London — Brompton Cemetery was really serene

Older buildings on London's streets — The walk to the flat had a bunch of historic buildings

Some yellow and red flowers — The program also took us to Kew Gardens, the royal botanic gardens in London

Learning to do things on my own (and having lots of fun in the process!)

A girl holding a "Mean Girls" program — Evidence of my solo show experience

Navigating the city

The tube being empty — The tube was not too hard to figure out

Five girls smiling at the camera — We did get lost (even towards the end of the program), but we always figured it out

Bonding with the flat

10 students smiling at the camera — Celebrating a birthday

Decor in the flat kitchen — Kitchen decor!

Meeting Actors

A program with 4 signatures on it — Actor’s signatures!

A group of students with some actors from Hamlet — We even met some actors from Hamlet who talked to us for 30 minutes about the professional acting industry

Outings (with the Program and with friends)

Six people smiling at the camera at high tea — The program took us to high tea at Kensington Gardens!

Four girls smiling at the camera in fancy clothes — Dressing up for Cabaret

Pancakes and hot chocolate — We had to see if bottomless pancakes were good (they were the amazing)

Traveling with the Program (Liverpool, Stratford, Oxford, and York)

An old library — Oxford’s Famous Bodleian Library

Two girls smiling next to a lambanana (a mix of lamb and banana) — Lambananas in Liverpool!

Shakespeare's gravesite — Shakespeare’s grave in Stratford-Upon-Avon

The rooftop of the York Minster — Roof of the York Minster

A group of students jumping at a ruined Abbey — Jumping for joy at the Rievaulx Abbey in York!

Traveling with Friends

A girl in front of a castle — I also got to see a real life castle!

Four girls smiling at the cliffside — We had to visit the white cliffs of Dover

A girl smiling with a croissant — Paris for a weekend (featuring the best croissant I’ve ever had)

Two girls smiling from the Eiffel Tower — The view from the Eiffel Tower

Having fun with new people

Some students with local people who contradance every week — We travelled an hour to go to a contradance where we met the sweetest people!

Four students posing in silly ways with Paddington — Silly photo shoot with Paddington!

6 students smiling at the camera — Running around the Abbey

All in All

Overall, living in London was a pretty amazing experience. As you can see in these photos, we were immersed in a new culture, we always found ways to have a good time, and most of all, we all grew as people. Before studying abroad, I was scared to go places on my own and always worried about meeting new people. But I learned how to navigate, travel and talk to strangers all on my own. I bonded with my classmates, local instructors and actors. So if you’re considering any study abroad program, don’t be afraid to take the risk. You will find a community full of supportive and caring people no matter where you go. And I promise, even if you get lost in a big city, you will always find your way back home.

The entire Living London group in front of Rievaulx Abbey — Living London ’25

Kate (she/her) is a sophomore History major from the Bay Area, California. She loves Carleton’s artsy community, and is involved in both the Theater and Dance department and Vocal Studies Program. Kate’s favorite places on campus are the practice rooms, either in Myers or the Weitz, where she can sing or play the ukulele. She loves the campus during all the seasons, but fall is definitely her favorite. When not in class, you can find Kate either petting the nearest cat or forcing her friends to watch bad movies in a study room.

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