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Studying Abroad in Spain (part 2)

November 4, 2023 by Ruth Misori

Wow, I’m finally in Spain! Valencia is incredibly gorgeous, or as the Spaniards would say, “Muy bonita!” I arrived at nighttime, so I wasn’t able to take in the beautiful scenery until the next morning, and boy was it awesome! The dormitory I stayed at was located on top of a steep hill in the outskirts of Valencia (in Sagunto), so I was able to get a decent view of nature, the city, and even a glimpse of the Sagunto Castle, which is as old as the 5th century BC! Isn’t that cool? Every day was an wonderful opportunity to gaze at the Spanish sunrise before I went to class, and don’t even get me started on the sunsets! They’re absolutely chef’s kisses!

A week before I left for Spain, I was required to take an online placement test of my knowledge of Spanish, which would determine what level of classes I would take. I was pleasantly surprised (and relieved) that I was placed in the intermediate level classes since I had previously taken two Spanish courses, so I had some basic skills of the language, and also because I wasn’t placed in a extremely advanced class where I would feel inadequate because I wouldn’t be able to keep up or fall behind. Therefore, my classes were a perfect fit, and my favorite one was the composition class because my professor was fun and animated (she often made funny faces to describe the acoustics & vibrations of learning languages), and also because I love writing. Who knew that writing in another language would be equally as enjoyable as writing my my native tongue? The composition class was conducted entirely in Spanish, and to my shock, I actually understood what was being taught! Of course, there were times that I didn’t exactly recognize what my professor was saying, but I always understood what she meant, which gave me a lot of confidence with my listening & comprehension skills in Spanish.

The first week was a breeze as we went over the program orientation and the expectations for passing our classes, as well as receiving information about upcoming trips, excursions, and even tips on navigating the city of Valencia. The administration and staff were very helpful and the tutors because in the afternoons after classes ended, we would have the option of going to them for extra help for any classes or additional practice in general. The best part was the amount of free time my friends and I had to explore the city after our classes everyday at noon, which would give us many options to either participate in any school activities on campus or go sightseeing in Valencia. Every week on Fridays and Sundays, the school would take us to the beach and on Wednesdays, we would go on academic excursions to castles, waterparks, churches, museums, and more! We even took a week-long trip to Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia, and had a blast! My favorite city in Spain is Segovia because the scenery is very historical and purely Italian-based as it was built by the Romans, and they even have a huge aqueduct that is completely breath-taking! Also, we stumbled upon the best Napoli pizzeria in Segovia, which ultimately began my obssesion with a Margherita pizza because that is the best pizza in this entire bloody world, and I refuse to think otherwise! If you ever get a chance to try a Margherita pizza, do it because you won’t be disappointed! No other pizza can compare to it.

It was so much fun studying abroad in Spain for the summer and it had many perks, which included good food, walkability, good transportation, history, and having access to other European countries at your doorstep, which are only 1-2 hours away instead of day to get Paris or Rome or wherever. It still blows my mind to think that I got to travel to other cities within two hours and have the rest of day to explore without feeling tired or jet lagged since they all have the same time difference. In addition, the sun doesn’t set until late at 9 or even 10 pm, so I have plenty of time to do what I want without feeling so rushed. Woohoo! Weekend trips were encouraged, so I was lucky enough to do two weekend trips throughout this entire trip: One solo weekend to London, and a small girls’ trip to Barcelona. Because these trips were during the peak of the summer in Europe, the prices weren’t dirt cheap, and a lot of hotels were booked, but thankfully hostels and Airbnb’s were to the rescue! During my time in London, I got to stay at this cute hostel, which was a five-minute walk away from the metro, which I took the entire time for transportation, and it was really cool! As for Barcelona, the Airbnb the girls and I stayed at was huge, cozy, and had a direct view of the Sagrada de Familia, so I considered us lucky! It was also a ten-minute walk from shops, bus stops, restaurants, Mercat de la Boqueria (biggest market in Barcelona) and the Park Güell, which made transportation so much easier.

While there were many benefits that I got to experience in Spain, such as meeting life-long friends, exploring cities, and enjoying delicious tapas and paella, there were also downsides that I encountered, such as confusion navigating trains (my friends and I got lost a couple of times), extreme heat without any AC, despite having fans, (AC is not common in Europe) getting scammed in Barcelona (the pickpocketing capital of the world) and sometimes frustrating language barriers since Catalan and Spanish are both spoken in Spain, and there are too many accents to identify with either language. However, the more I immerse myself in the culture, the easier a few of these challenges became and I was eventually able to understand more Spanish, take the train without getting lost every time, and even feel more confident speaking to locals. It was rather relieving. I was finally able to relax and let my hair down and not be so hard on myself because I was able to grasp that while I will make mistakes, as long as I commit to learning from and making the most out of them then I would be fine, and I was.

Overall, this experience was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, because next summer I will have graduated from college, and won’t have another chance to study abroad for a summer, and now looking back a few months after this trip ended, I’m still in awe of the fact that I was able to do this and benefit from it long-term as my Spanish is improved so much and I actually feel confident talking to native Spanish speakers. I even befriended a Mexican woman on a flight to D.C and we spoke in Spanish and followed each other on Instagram. Cool huh! There’s no amount of words to describe how lucky I am to have gained an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience studying abroad, and I will forever be grateful. If I have the chance, then I will definitely revisit Spain and catch up with my life-long friends!

Studying Abroad in Spain

June 3, 2023 by Ruth Misori

Summer is right around the corner, which means nice weather, no more exams, and now I actually have more time to wind down and relax. Finally! Admittedly, this school year has been tough since I completely lacked an healthy balance of school and life, as well as feeling completely burnt out from the overall responsibilities of being a commuter student as well as juggling work, assignments, and household chores. But at last, I finished my junior year strong with decent grades and a good GPA, and praise God because that was the only way I was going to get through all of this!

Actually, a few days after I started my junior year, I was planning a week-long trip to Spain with a company called, ‘EF Ultimate Tours,’ which is a travel company for individuals aged 18-35 that enables them to book fully-organized itineraries based on their choice of destination, interests, or duration. The best part was that you could even opt for arranged flights to and from your destinations, or extend your stay if you thoroughly enjoyed your trip. There’s also all sorts of discounts and the vast majority of participants were college students, so my decision to plan an EF trip after my junior year ended was a no-brainer, and would’ve been a perfect way to begin this summer. In addition, I worked hard that year and also earned a decent amount of money from my previous summer internship, so what a better way than to celebrate my hard work abroad? Unfortunately, life had other plans as I was planning this EF trip right before I had visited my student accounts office at my institution and discovered that I had to pay a large fee in order to be considered 70% financially cleared.

I had two choices: I could either pay out-of-pocket with my earnings from last summer and basically miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime trip, or take out a student loan to cover my tuition. Though I had several scholarships, I didn’t have a full-ride and had to figure out how to pay the remaining fees without putting myself in crippling debt, so I decided to pay with my internship earnings in order to be cleared. That was an extremely hard decision to make because I worked very hard for that money, and would’ve greatly benefitted from a break overseas, and just as a matter of seconds of returning to campus, that opportunity to travel was gone (Or so I thought)!

I was glad to be cleared without taking out any loans, but I definitely moped around and sobbed for days. It was an overall pity party and it was honestly pathetic. I think it hit me the hardest because of the fact that this would’ve been my first international trip since covid, and before I planned this trip, I already had a previous cancelled trip to Ghana, so when I had to pay a stupid amount of money in order to clear for school, I was super bummed out about it. That didn’t stop me from researching other travel companies or student discounts and benefits, but despite all of this, it became very apparent that this EF trip nor different programs weren’t indeed happening.

Flash-forward to December, I decide to talk with Spanish instructor/study abroad coordinator about my desire to travel to Spain for this summer. We had previously spoken about this, but I brushed off the idea because it was expensive and initially decided to wait until I graduate from college to study abroad with my institution. Though, she revealed that are several ways for me to fund my trip which also included external scholarships, fundraisers, family support, and of course, part-time jobs. Thankfully, I already had a job and was in the process of applying for scholarships, but my chances of actually receiving them were slim as they mostly prioritized students who received pell grants or came from low-income households, so I didn’t meet their criteria and had to find other ways to fund my trip. My ears perked up when my professor also informed me of a study abroad interest meeting for this upcoming summer and encouraged me to attend as there would be further information about Spain and a drawing for two round-trip prizes.

I already have a passport, so I thought that if I could win this flight trip for Spain, then all I would have to worry about is the actual tuition for the program, and I could be one more step closer to this trip. My friend Nina, who had been to Spain twice with the program had told me about her experiences, as well as another friend was also currently there for a year and enjoyed her time, and pretty much everyone else I’ve spoken with about the program, so I became really excited of the idea of going to Spain. It sounded really fun and life-changing and I desperately wanted to go. I specifically wanted to go not only to have another opportunity to travel again, but to actually have a traditional college experience since I didn’t live on campus and was basically working all the time whenever I wasn’t in classes, so this summer was a chance get to a foretaste of dorm life and being able to become a little more social without having to worry about work. Don’t get me wrong, I do have friends and try to make an effort to hang out with them when I can, but our availability doesn’t often align since we have clashing work schedules and are sometimes too tired to socialize, so that hasn’t been much fun.

So if I actually have a chance to study in Spain this summer, it would be for a month and a half, I could focus solely on learning the language instead of commuting to classes, work, juggling chores, and actually get a serious break, as well as being able to get more involved socially. I wouldn’t have to worry about driving to school because I’d stay on campus and meet new people in the dorms, and I can go out to eat or shop whenever class ends and have the evenings and weekends completely to myself without serious obligations. Ah! Now that sounds relaxing! Of course, I would still be in some form of academia since I’m studying abroad, but I thoroughly enjoy the Spanish language and don’t really consider that a draining class. In fact, that was my favorite class, and I would love to advance to the next level and maybe one day become a fluent or at least conversational Spanish-speaker.

The day of the interest meeting arrives and I’ve been praying incessantly for that flight prize since I am really serious about studying abroad and wanted that life-changing opportunity. I even printed out pictures of the Spanish flag and a tiny plane to put on my dresser that poses as a vision board, and so I could speak my plans into existence. The meeting eventually ends and now Nina and I were crossing our fingers that we could win the flight prizes for Spain. The two winners are announced (neither of us) and the audience does a loud round of applause. I was obviously disappointed that I didn’t win because I felt like I was the only one who truly wanted to go to Spain badly and the two girls who won weren’t even sure about whether or not if they’re interested in attending the program, so it felt like a slap in the face and annoyed me further. Even though I was upset, I mentally tried to remind myself that there will be other opportunities for me to still be able to go and did my best to be a good sport and attempted to approach one of the girls to congratulate them. I then tapped her shoulder and said, “Felicidades!” “Thank you,” she responded. I asked her if she was excited about going to Spain, to which she answered that she wasn’t sure if she is actually going, which made me visibly annoyed (thankfully I was wearing my mask), so I took that opportunity to end the conversation and leave.

My Spanish professor later informed me of another future interest meeting online which also included a drawing of a round-trip prize, which made me a little more hopeful. ‘Maybe this is my chance to win,’ I thought to myself. Once again, I prayed constantly and did as many Hail Mary’s as I possibly could, lol. Unfortunately, I did not win the round-trip prize and briefly panicked as the deadline to apply was approaching and my institution had a policy that students had to be 100% cleared in order to finish the program’s application (I needed proof of financial clearance & signatures) and ultimately participate. I was running out of options as I didn’t really qualify for competitive scholarships, my fundraisers were low, and I didn’t have enough money to afford this trip with my part-time job. So, my last resort was to apply for a loan, which I was extremely against initially as I didn’t want to accumulate unnecessary debt, but realized that at this point, I only have two choices: I can take the small loan and have the time of my life and gain an valuable language under my belt, or forget about the trip all together and just focus on finishing the remainder of my junior year without worrying about financial obligations.

I shortly decided to take out the small loan as I realized that while I’m still borrowing money, I am responsible and do tend to pay things back on time. So I’m am grateful that this is my first loan that I am taking out, compared to others who may be taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars for their education or to simply stay afloat. Student loans aren’t ideal, but they’re not my enemy, so if this can enable me to have an unforgettable experience in which I’ll cherish for the rest of my life, then it’s totally worth it. And I more than intend to pay it all back, and am trying to figure out ways to pay it off before I even graduate, which I feel is a good sign of financial literacy.

A few weeks after I take out the loan and receive my acceptance letter from the program to study abroad in Spain, I become ecstatic. Finally! My dreams are coming true! I went from sulking from the beginning of my junior year over a lost week-long trip to finishing my junior with the fun anticipation of a longer, life-changing trip! The best part is that one of my friends from school is also going on the trip and asked to be my roommate! Not only do I get to travel the world, but I also get to room with one of my good friends, and we’re even chatting regularly to practice our Spanish! Yay! I may not be going on an EF tour, but I’m glad that God was able to turn my disappointment around and give me something better and more fulfilling that I can one day tell my kids or grandkids about.

Now everything is set, and I will be arriving in Spain in a few weeks to have the time of my life, alongside my friend and roommate, and I absolutely look forward to it! Once I arrive, I’ll keep you posted, but until then, wish me a safe trip!

My Experience at Oxford (part 3)

June 9, 2022 By Ruth Misori

I arrived at Corpus Christi College, which is where I am supposed to check in, have class, and eat my meals for the duration of my stay. It is a very old yet one of the most important landmarks as it’s the smallest college (Oxford University has many colleges) and is best known for academic excellence. As I was checking in, I met other cool people from other parts of the U.S, as well as people from China, India, and of course, Europe. The majority of the European participants were either Greek or English. I then contacted my parents to let them know that I arrived to Oxford safely and that I was already having a wonderful time. After I gave the program directors my information, I had to give them my passport, as well as the other students who had checked in to ensure that none of us lose it, which I think was a wise idea. Once the program is over, we could retrieve our passports before heading to the airport. I received my schedule which listed classes, excursions, and other fun activities that I would be engaging in during my stay. I couldn’t wait to explore the campus, but first things first, there was orientation, which was mandatory for everyone. Afterwards, there was dinner in Corpus Christi’s famous dining halls.

Meals were the best part of the program because you had the chance to meet a lot of students from all over the world and discuss various topics with them such as how they heard about this program, what they want to do in the future, and common interests. I’m going to be really honest and say that initially I wasn’t excited about eating British meals because they don’t look that appealing. However one day I was served a traditional English breakfast including baked beans, pork, eggs, sausage, and toast. I actually enjoyed it and savored every bite. Most of the meals consisted of Italian or German dishes (Lots of potatoes) and I enjoyed every meal. They even had American cereal for breakfast such as frosted flakes, much to my glee. Later that same day at dinner, I met even more cool people from Malaysia, though I specifically remember encountering Ariel and Isabelle, who were actually here on a school trip so we were able to hang out for the majority of the trip after we finished our morning classes.

The UK uses military time, which is 24 hours around the clock, instead of a 12-hour clock, so I had to get use to remembering that activities start at 15:00, not 3:00 pm, or that dinner begins at 17:30, not 5:30. Thankfully, there’s an app for that so I don’t have to worry about being confused when I could just look it up, or even google it. I actually stayed at a nearby dormitory that was 2 minutes away from Corpus Christi College, which was called Magpie Lane. Magpie is a modernized dorm, so it’s a little nicer than the older dorms in the sense that I may have more access to things I may need. However, I wouldn’t mind staying in the older dorms, it’s just really hot and you have to take a lot of steps back and forth, so that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I had my own room so I didn’t have roommates. There were individuals who did have roommates but I think the housing process was chosen randomly. I believe I stayed on the second floor of the three-story building. It was very small but comfy and it even had a sink and a small fireplace. I also got a glimpse of one of the historical buildings from my window and woke up to the sound of church bells daily. ahh, how soothing and refreshing.

The next day, I woke up and got ready for my first day of class. I didn’t realize how cold it was in the mornings so I brought my jacket. The afternoons are the exact opposite. It’s like a sauna. I ate breakfast and went to the classroom at Corpus Christi College. The first day was mostly icebreakers and an introduction of the psychology major, whereas the following days, we were given reading assignments such as long articles about cognitive psychology, mental ailments, biopsychology, and clinical psychology. It was a small class which consisted of maybe seven or eight students but I preferred it that way because everyone could have a chance to voice his or her opinions as opposed to a big class of say, 30 students. The bigger the class, the more intimidating it can be feel, sometimes. But it’s nothing personal, it’s just our perceptions. Each day, our instructor taught for two hours and then the last hour a different speaker would come in and tell us about their specific field. For instance, Monday was about biopsychology, so the instructor would have someone majoring in biopsychology to speak to us about what they do and what to expect in that field of study. Unfortunately, jet lag kinda kicked in during the first hour of class every day, so I was trying my best not to fall asleep since the UK is 6 hours ahead of the US. Thankfully, I was successful in my attempts of not falling asleep from jet lag, and I was able to learn so much.

One day our instructor even took us out to a local coffee shop to help us with our jet lag, which was so sweet of her, and we we able to communicate more with each other in the program. My favorite day was Thursday since that’s when a clinical psychology student came in to speak to us, so you can imagine I was paying very close attention to her presentation. I even remembered her name: Poppy. Poppy showed us a video about schizophrenia and discussed the causes and treatments which are used for schizophrenics. She even went into further details about other mental illnesses. I thought it was super cool and made sure to take notes, which I did daily, anyway, but I took the most notes on Thursday since I have a strong interest in clinical psychology.

Now, off to the excursions. Everyday after classes ended at noon, I would get something to eat with my new friends and we would just do whatever we wanted, and we had a lot of fun. We also took it upon ourselves to sign up for activities that the school is offering such as fencing, punting, campus tours, and even castles. I was even lucky enough to go to a Shakespeare play. I was able to do three of the six activities that I’ve mentioned which were campus tours, Shakespeare play, and fencing. The activities that I signed up for were on a first-come first-serve basis so that’s why I wasn’t able to do all of them, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. Professor James Basker gave us the tours and also did a hour lecture on the history of slavery in England, since England is very known for its previous slave captivity in the 1600’s. He even handed out articles about it, which I ultimately gave to my history teacher to display to her class.

On the last day before my departure, we had a fancy goodbye dinner, so we were able to dress up and have one final gathering with all of the other students before we go our separate ways. Some were staying for another week or two more weeks, but me and the majority of my friends were headed home the next day. I wasn’t able to see the entire campus because its so huge, but I saw the main buildings such as the University of St Mary church, Radcliff library, Corpus Christi College, Jesus and Exeter’s college. Saying goodbye was the hardest part but the good news is that I made life-long connections with international students, which is very important in terms of networking. After all, it’s not what you know, but who you know, and if people like you then many doors of opportunities could open up for you.

Departure day came and I got up early so I could prepare for the longest flight of my life. The flight from London to Dallas Fort-worth airport was about 9 hours. Upon departure, I was assigned an uber ride along with two other students and a chaperone who were departing around the same time as me, but to different countries. We were driven to three different terminals because Heathrow was just that big. Once again, I was flying with American so once I got to terminal 3 I was able to quickly check in and wait for my flight. This time I didn’t get a window seat as I was nice enough to switch seats with an elderly man so he could be near his wife. Worst Decision Ever! I say that because he was seated directly in the middle of the plane. International flights tend to have larger aircrafts so the cabins were designed in the form of three seats on both the left and right sides and then four seats in the middle. I sat in the middle, which I hate because I can’t see anything and I’m more uncomfortable since I can’t lean sideways and sleep like I normally would. Thankfully because I’m slender, I didn’t have to worry about taking both armrests from my neighboring passengers. When the flight took off, there was a little turbulence, so that was fun. That was the most uneventful flight as I had really bad neck pain afterwards.

Once I landed in Dallas, I proceeded to go through customs, which turned out to be a much better experience than in London. though, I did enjoy Heathrow upon leaving, since it was clean and organized, and waiting didn’t take too long. 40 minutes after I got to my terminal, the desk attendant announced on the intercom that my terminal was changed all the way across the other side. So I had to dash to the train to get to the terminal. 20 minutes after I was at the other terminal, the desk attendant announced that the flight to my home city were cancelled. Are you kidding me? I dialed my parents’ number to let them know that my flight was cancelled. “What? it’s cancelled? try to ask if you can get on another flight home, you’re still a small child!” Dad exclaimed. “Ok, I’ll try.” I approached the desk attendant and asked if there were other flights to my home city. Thankfully, there were and I was booked on the next flight back to my home city. Thank God otherwise I would have been stranded here! I proceed to take the train to another terminal. and await my flight. That took more than 5 hours so I was very tired and jet lagged. The desk attendant finally announced my flight’s departure so I was able to board and came home approximately at 12 something in the morning. Now that I made of all these memories, I was ready to rest. Before my friends and I left, we were able to exchange numbers and befriend each other on social media, which was nice. So overall, I would rate my Oxford experience a 10/10.

My Experience at Oxford (part 2)

June 9, 2022 By Ruth Misori

August the 2nd comes and my parents and I drive to the airport for me to depart for my flight. I then embrace and kiss my mother goodbye while dad takes my luggage for me to the security. As we approach the security line we embrace as dad reminds me to remain prayerful and to pay attention in class. I nod in agreement and head for the security line after I wave my final goodbye and walk to my terminal. Flying is a rare, but enjoyable hobby for me because oddly enough, I find it very peaceful and I love gazing at the clouds, which is why I always book a window seat because I need to see my surroundings. It’s the standard to arrive two hours before international flights in case plans change such as delays, terminal changes, or even cancellations. The crazy thing is that I experienced all three of those things on my trip. All of them.

I waited not too long after arriving to my terminal (2 hours isn’t that long) and before I knew it, my flight was ready to depart. I flew to Chicago O’Hare for my first layover, and then from there, I fly directly to London Heathrow Airport. All of my flights were with American Airlines, which is my favorite since I always have good experiences with them. The first flight to O’Hare only took an hour, so that’s what most people consider a baby flight. Once I arrived, I went to my terminal since I don’t have to go through customs until I actually arrive in London. As I was getting something to eat I decided to text my parents and let them know that I arrived in Chicago safely. That was a part of the agreement of letting me go, which was to contact them and inform them about everything concerning my flights, including when I land, depart, encounter delays or cancelations. That way they can figure out something else if these misfortunes do occur (which ended up happening anyway, ugh). Mostly, this was because I was a seventeen-year-old flying solo to another country that are miles and miles away. I don’t have close relatives who live in the UK, so I’m on my own for this entire trip. Therefore, I had to take all of these precautions in order to insure my parents and myself my own safety.

One of the desk attendants made an announcement that the flight to London was delayed for 30 minutes. I shrugged and proceeded to watch tv on my tablet with my earbuds on (I took them out occasionally for announcements). It was no big deal since I would depart for London in 30 minutes and delays are normal. In fact, delays often occur due to mechanical checks for any errors, so I’d rather be safe than sorry. So by all means, take all the time you need. 30 minutes pass and the desk attendant makes another announcement that the flight is delayed again for 45 minutes. My eyebrows raise in suspicion. ‘What’s taking them so long?’ I then text my parents about my flight delays as well as the institution, since they’re supposed to pick me and other students up from the airport.

An hour passes and the desk attendant makes another announcement that my flight is now ready for boarding. Finally! I made my way in the long line (thank God this was before Covid) but I began to feel slightly nervous. Anytime I do fly, I tend to get nervous right before I take off but once I’m in the air, I’m back to normal. Strange huh. I found my window seat in economy and became excited since they all had screens, so I wouldn’t have to worry about when I land since I could check on the device. I could also watch movies and tv shows to occupy my time on this 7-hour flight. What people fail to tell you is that despite these things, you’ll still become bored and restless after a matter of time (3 hours max). The pilot made the announcement of the flight takeoff as I begin to hear the roaring engines. My heart races fast as I tell myself to be calm and that everything will be ok. Once we’re in the air, I return to normal and decide to watch ‘Tangled’, which is a classic Disney movie.

My flight from Chicago to London was an overnight flight, like most European flights, so I was served dinner, and they have these cool, colorful lights in the cabins that turn on at night. Of course, I didn’t sleep because it’s very uncomfortable and I was too busy daydreaming about what I will experience at Oxford, anyway. I do manage to fall asleep for a few hours but every time I wake up, we’re still over the Atlantic Ocean! At that point, I was no longer impressed and just couldn’t wait to get to my dorm to freshen up and rest. We eventually landed around 8 or 8:30 in the morning. Once I left the plane, I went straight through customs which was a nightmare in and of itself. It’s long, confusing, and sometimes the airport officials give you a hard time.

Once it was my turn to approach the customs, I encountered a overweight woman whose nationality was undeniably Nigerian at the customs desk. She asked me what my purpose was for being in the UK, to which I responded that I was here for a program (They already gave me the invitation letter) and handed her the letter containing all of the information as well as my passport. She appeared unconvinced and slightly frowned. She then asked me to call the institution for clarification that I was indeed here for that program. As I mentioned earlier, I was tired and now I was becoming annoyed because who lies about this kind of stuff? I rolled my eyes as I dialed the institution’s number while she was glaring at me the entire time. Maybe she was having a bad day but that lady was definitely being rude and obnoxious. She then demanded that she speak to them on the phone. I was visibly annoyed with her and handed her my phone to talk to the institution. Once everything was confirmed, she handed me back my phone and finally let me go. “Idiot” I muttered as I shook my head and walked away.

I searched for a large sign that says Oxbridge Academic programs and turned to my right and there it was! I am finally here! I gleefully walk to the sign and they welcome me to the program. “Hi, Ruth, welcome to the UK! My name is Alex and this is Daniel and we’ll be responsible for getting you settled in! I hope you enjoy your time here and if you want, there’s a coffee shop over there in case you wanted to get yourself a cup.” “Thank you so much, and I’m really excited to be here” I responded as we shook hands. I noticed a group of people who are also standing by the Oxbridge sign. I walk towards them as they introduce themselves. “Hi, I’m Iro, and this is Nikos, Stelios, Emily, and Irene. We’re all from Greece.” “Oh cool! I’m Ruth and I’m from the United States.” “What are your majors?” Most of them replied business or political science. “And you?” “Psychology. I’m really interested in clinical psychology.” They nodded in fascination. “That’s great!” A couple minutes later Alex and Daniel informed us that it was time to leave and that we were going to ride the bus (no it wasn’t double-decker) to the university.

I look out and stare at everything in awe. I still can’t believe I’m finally here! I’ve been waiting the entire summer for this and now the opportunity has come! The bus ride from London to Oxford was an hour away since Oxford is an actual city apart from London. I took this time to take pictures of whatever caught my eye: landscapes, double-decker buses, churches, houses, landmarks. And yes, we did drive on the left side of the road! This means whenever you’re walking across the street in any part of the UK, you must look right then left before you cross instead of left then right because of the oncoming traffic approaching from the right side first. Also, walk on the right side to avoid any confusion.

My Experience at Oxford

 June 9, 2022 By Ruth Misori

In the beginning of August of 2019, I had the opportunity to attend a pre-college program at Oxford University in the UK. This was perfect timing, in my opinion since it happened during my first week of my senior year of high school, and what better way than to spend it abroad? I initially didn’t plan on attending this program as I was searching for another trip. The previous year before I participated in the Oxford program, I attended a spring break mission trip in the Dominican Republic and had a blast. So, I had my high hopes set on finding similar trips at a much more reasonable price, of course. I tried Googling as many trips aimed for high school students in the DR, but no luck since they were either too long or expensive. I was able to come across Goabroad.com and saw the Oxbridge Academic programs, which is a combination of Cambridge and Oxford programs. 

I clicked on the program’s website and discovered that it was a pre-college program designed for high school students interested in finding specific majors in college. It was founded by professor James Basker in the late 1980’s after a couple of years of attending both Oxford and Cambridge University for his degrees. All of the Oxbridge programs occur during either the summer or early fall and the durations could be short as a week (only a few) or as long as a month. To my surprise, there are several Oxbridge programs in New York at Barnard College. There are also programs in France and Spain. I assumed that their programs were only in England at Cambridge and Oxford, but this was a nice surprise as now I had a range of options of where I decide to go. 

Their programs consist of business, art, politics, fashion, psychology, engineering, creative writing, and plenty more. I specifically wanted to choose psychology as I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, and there were a few psychology programs at Cambridge, Oxford and Barnard. I choose the one at Oxford because of the length and the price, compared to the other two. I found this website in December so I had time to pray and think about whether or not if I actually wanted to apply for this program since the application deadline was three months away. I chose to participate in the Oxford Summer Seminar, which wouldn’t begin until the beginning of August, but I had the options of staying for one, two, or four weeks if accepted and depending on what I wanted to study. 

I really began considering this opportunity because it’s a once-in-a lifetime experience that may never come by again, and it was also my first chance to get a glimpse of college life at one of the oldest and prestigious institutions in the world, and at the age of 17! I had never been to the UK or any part of Europe, so I was very excited to make this fantasy become a reality. I did more research on the website and noticed that I was eligible to apply for scholarships since this was my first time, though they had alumni discounts for previous students as well. I prayed without ceasing and then later decided to discuss it with my parents. My dad was more open to the idea since he’s extremely obsessed with education. He has several degrees and encourages my sisters and me to seek out higher education such as a master’s or even a PhD. He even has this catchphrase that he tells my sisters and me to ‘Read, read… Read’ any chance he gets. It’s honestly hilarious. My mother on the other hand, was slightly reluctant as I had never been to another continent solo, and unlike my trip to the Dominican Republic, The UK is obviously very far and out of their reach in case something goes wrong. Don’t get me wrong, my mom is also keen on education and has several degrees, and wants my sisters and I to pursue higher education. But safety is her first priority for me, so she wants to make sure that I take as many precautions to protect myself while abroad.

After much convincing, I was able to get my parents on board and got the green light to apply. Like every college application process, waiting is often hard and daunting because of the results and then you began to doubt your efforts. That’s completely normal but it’s annoying, so I had to find other ways to occupy myself while awaiting the results. Aside from my relatives, I only told one friend because I don’t like the idea of telling many people my plans before I even accomplish them, just in case they don’t happen or aren’t successful. In fact, it can be really embarrassing when you tell people your goals and none of them happen, so you’re left with egg on your face when explaining the results. So, I’d like to avoid all of this by planning and plotting in silence so if this doesn’t happen, I can take my loss in private without being embarrassed. Lastly, not every single person is going to be genuinely happy for you, so it’s wise to sometimes keep your goals to yourself and to let your success speak for itself.

Even though I told myself not to become obsessed with Oxford, I somehow found myself on the Oxbridge website because that’s what high schoolers do. We constantly obsess over our futures and no matter how much we try not to think about the application process, here we are again scrolling on the websites trying to ponder our outcomes. It’s a constant cycle, so just own it. Yet at the same time, don’t go overboard because at the end of the day, it’s just a school, which in no shape or form defines you. Everyone in high school wants a great future and ultimately dedicates his or her time to achieving that but don’t burn yourself out by doing unnecessary stuff. It’s never worth it in the long run and time is being wasted. Trust your efforts and have faith in yourself, and if things don’t turn out how you planned, then move on because there are better opportunities just waiting for you.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take my own advice at the time since I just so happened to be in the computer lab when I was once again scrolling the Oxbridge website while simultaneously contemplating the what ifs, and figuring out what to do if I don’t get accepted when a classmate passed by and blurted out, “Ruth, you’re going to Oxford?” This immediately forced me out of my thoughts and caused everyone in the room to turn their attention to me. I chuckled nervously. “What? no, I’m just bored and looking at various schools” I explained unconvincingly. “Oh, cool” he nodded. Oh crap, now everyone knows! I really hope I get in now because then I’ll really be humiliated. Even though I wasn’t applying to the institution itself but rather a pre-college program, I was still intimidated by the idea of rejection, especially from a prestigious university. Of course, if I was rejected by this program, I would get over it eventually but that’s not the general mindset of adolescent seniors who are constantly anticipating their futures.

Two days before I received my results I typed in rejection from Oxford in the YouTube search bar. Yeah, cringeworthy stuff, I know. If I knew the things back then that I do now, I probably wouldn’t be doing any of this, but I didn’t know any better, so alas, here I was. The videos itself were obviously depressing because they were all crying and trying to figure out what they did wrong.  At that point, I didn’t want to watch that anymore so I typed in something else that was actually funny or uplifting. I then decided in that moment that I shouldn’t be doing this because frankly, it’s degrading and if I don’t get accepted, then it’s not the end of the world. There are better opportunities that are for me and won’t be taken away from me. 

I finally received an email from the Oxbridge Academic programs institution, offering me an acceptance letter in addition to a partial, yet decent scholarship. I squealed. I was so excited. What do I pack? when should I pack? When do I book my flights? When should I leave? So many more questions pondered that day but I was incredibly grateful to be going to Oxford and my family and friends were also happy for me. I ultimately chose to stay for a week since school will have already started and I don’t want to fall behind. Now everything was set. I was prepared to leave for Oxford on Friday, August the 2nd of 2019, and I wouldn’t be back until August the 10th.