Advice from Previous Students: Julianna

1. What should I know ahead of time?

If you have commitment problems, ignore them! I freaked out for nearly the entire semester on whether I should go or not and basically - JUST DO IT because it is great and well worth your money and time. I suppose I can't speak for everyone, but I don't think you will regret going.

2. What should I bring?

Line your suitcase with dryer sheets - you can use them in your laundry and they keep your clothes at least somewhat fresh in the meantime. If you wear glasses I would recommend bringing contacts because hiking in the rain with glasses is really not fun. Smartwool sock liners are great - I didn't get a single blister the whole trip. I would also recommend buying a journal that you like, and one that will last. Bringing tape/glue and small scissors is also a good idea because you will probably want to keep brochures/pictures/pressed flowers etc in your journal.

3. What should I leave behind?

Extra clothes that you think you "might wear". Try to keep it to the minimum - I regretted bringing too much stuff. You'll probably end up buying clothes along the way somewhere, so don't bring any more than you have to.

4. What should I absolutely do or see no matter what?

Whatever you want. I would definitely recommend spending at least one day just wandering through a town - you will see a lot more than if you put yourself on some kind of rigid tourist hit list. I also would recommend going to as many art museums as possible.

5. What should I miss?

On days that you are feeling overwhelmed/tired/smelly/annoyed, hang back. Like Tina said, alone time is important. It is also important to go to most things, but if something doesn't interest you then don't go. If there is something you can be content with missing, then don't regret missing it. Walk around town or catch up on reading. You'll be happier - it isn't all about going home and showing everyone the pictures that you took of everywhere that you went. It should be an enjoyable experience.

6. What attitude should I take with me (as an American, student, traveler, etc)?

A positive one. It is definitely helpful to not rely on a lot of alone time - John Bennion will teach you how to love everyone - so learn the skill! It was helpful for me to just be grateful for every awesome thing that we got to see and do - who cares if your bunkmate has smelly feet? You're in England!! I also paid zero attention to the schedule - that way every day I got to be surprised at all of the cool stuff we were doing instead of having expectations about how the day would go. That limits your ability to plan out what you want to see, but it worked great for me (I also had no idea where we were 70% of the time, so this strategy has its downsides...)

7. What can I expect from the experience? Good stuff.