Anjali DasSarma in England as Abroad Ambassador

Anjali DasSarma '21 Media and Communications Studies major with a minor in Journalism.

September 3rd, 2019

Hi there! I’m Anjali, and I’m a Humanities Scholar here at UMBC. I’m studying abroad this Fall 2019 at King’s College of London in England. King’s College is one of the top universities in the world. I’m very excited, and I can’t believe that my study abroad is about to begin. At UMBC, I am involved with The Retriever, as well as my scholars program. I also freelance for a music journalism blog called Balloon Machine, and read a whole lot of news.

With only a week left to go, the realization has set in: I have to pack all of my clothes into one suitcase, pick it up, and carry it around the world to my new apartment in the center of London.

While at King’s, I’ll be writing these blogs, writing for The Retriever (as I’m the Opinions Editor currently), and taking several classes. Since I have the opportunity to explore other disciplines, this semester I’ll be taking a film class as well as a culture course. I’m really looking forward to doing some photography and a whole lot of writing and finding some lovely cafes to spend my days.

I’m going to be living in a very urban environment, much different from UMBC Hilltop Circle. Though I lived in Beijing once before when I was younger, this is sure to be a different experience. I’m living just a few blocks away from Big Ben, Parliament and more. That’s another thing I’m looking forward to. Being in such an important and large city, I have a lot to learn and explore.

This is a very interesting time to go to London. As many of you probably know, Brexit is underway. Boris Johnson stated that on October 31st, Brexit will occur, “do or die.” While I’m in the UK, I’ll be sure to try to dissect and analyze this complicated issue to make sure students at UMBC understand the impact of this historic event. It’s going to hit close to home for me, as there are protests underway on the very bridge I’ll be crossing to get to my campus.

The academics at King’s are sure to be challenging. In the UK, the academic system is set up a bit differently. Firstly, what we call “courses,” are called “modules.” Modules are judged by one or two very large assignments. And that’s it! No extra credit, no pleading emails, no easy homework grades. It’s going to be quite an adventure, and I’m going to be studying much of the time.

Luckily I was able to procure my own apartment, which means I can study in my room at any time of day or night without bugging my roommate. However, I don’t have a meal plan, and I do have to share a kitchen with 4-9 different people. I’m going to be doing a lot of cooking! Stay tuned for lots and lots of meal prep… And I mean a lot.

Between the nightlife and the theatres and more, London has a lot to offer, and I’m going to do my best to balance everything, including my boyfriend back home, to have the best time ever! I hope you’ll join me:-) Talk soon!