Everyone decides to study abroad for different reasons.
As a Communications and Digital Studies major, I wanted to choose a program that would help me gain insight into the media realm from a new perspective. It was extremely difficult to narrow down where I wanted to study abroad.
After tirelessly deliberating my options, I chose to participate in the Creative Studies and Media discipline at Bangor University in Wales, United Kingdom. A few key factors played into this decision:
- My family is part Welsh.
- The architecture of Bangor University happens to be oddly reminiscent of Hogwarts.
- The school is situated above a quaint downtown, between the Snowdonia Mountains and the Menai Strait.
- Bangor is a two-hour train ride to Manchester and one-hour to Liverpool. A five-minute bus ride from my flat took us to the tallest waterfall in Wales and a twenty minute cab ride brought us to the world’s longest and fastest zip line.
Once I arrived, I was excited to learn that 85% percent of the town spoke the native Welsh language and Bangor University encouraged us to use some of their common words and phrases. I took many interesting courses including Screenwriting and Cultural Economy of Media and Digital Journalism, where I wrote my own screenplay, researched the origins of BuzzFeed’s algorithmic impact on our internet culture, and wrote articles based on research I gathered while traveling and conversing with the locals.
During this short four-month period, I traveled every weekend and explored 14 different countries. Not only was I immersed into a different culture, I also made lifelong friends, had amazing out-of-the-classroom experiences, and fell in love with traveling. Living in Wales was a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity.
My semester at Bangor University had such a profound impact on my life that I felt compelled to come back to work as a Peer Advisor at the Center of International Education. Through this position, I get to excite the rest of our student body about choosing their study abroad programs and am surrounded
by a group of people that appreciate their experiences as much as I did. This journey has helped shape me into a globally-minded communicator, self-motivated learner, and creative problem-solver, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
The Center for International Education (CIE) offers over 100 programs in over 35 countries throughout the world. Students can take part in UMW Faculty-Led Programs, UMW Approved Programs, internship, volunteer, and research opportunities. There are scholarships available to study abroad participants and most financial aid can be applied to a student’s education abroad program. CIE advises students from pre-departure through re-entry so come talk with us!
Ashley Edwards, UMW Class of 2018, Communications and Digital Studies