Meet the Global Office Summer Intern: Frances
Hello everyone! I am Frances, a second-year undergraduate studying Philosophy. I am thrilled to be sharing a little bit about myself as one of the Global Office Summer Interns this year. I am excited to be working with my colleagues as well as fellow intern Stefanie in helping our inbound and outbound students in making their study abroad journey as smooth as possible. During term time, if I am not studying, you will probably catch me roaming around town thrifting or curled up in my bed looking for a good Youtube video to watch.
Now that you know a bit more about me, I also want to use this opportunity to share a bit of my personal experience studying at St Andrews. Being an international student, I understand first-hand how daunting travelling and studying aboard can be. It was a struggle for me at first, having to leave home and see all the new faces, new places and new experiences that need getting used to. One of the biggest obstacles I had when I first arrived in Scotland was the accent. I struggled with it a lot in daily life, such as understanding cashiers, waiters, and even fellow classmates. I found myself just blank staring at them, trying to process what they are saying and feeling really embarrassed.
However, just remember that the phase of being confused and lost doesn’t last forever. A little tip that I have really found useful, as cliché as it is, is to throw yourself out there. Explore the place, meet the locals, and immerse in the culture as much as possible. Again, you might have heard this advice a million times, but it’s used because it’s true! I have always kept this in mind throughout my time at St Andrews, and thanks to it I have had the chance to fully experience a whole different culture from what I am used to. Through chatting with the locals on bus journeys, I have slowly but gradually got the hang of the Scottish accent, and in addition, met some lovely local folks! I also joined different societies during my time at university, such as Enactus St Andrews and the University Symphony Orchestra, where I have also got to know many kind and lovely fellow students. If I never tried, I would have missed out on all these experiences and encounters that I treasure dearly.
Hopefully any of you out there interested in studying abroad would also find this advice useful! If you have any questions about my experience at St Andrews, or any general questions regarding studying abroad, please contact [email protected].