Sarah’s First Abroad Experience at William & Mary
Sarah is a first-year Biology Student. She went to William & Mary for a week in March on our First Abroad Programme. Read about her experience below!
How and why did you end up on the First Abroad Programme?
After finding out about the opportunity via Instagram, the application process was relatively straightforward, consisting of an application form and an interview. I soon heard back that I had been successful with my application to be the Science student going over Williamsburg.
Without the scholarship, I would have never had the chance to travel due to the necessary costs of flights, car travel, accommodation, visa etc. Coming from a small rural town in Angus, Scotland, travelling anywhere has always seemed more of a dream than a possibility. My initial motivations for applying included meeting new people, being in a new country and being in a different learning environment. This then turned into an introduction to the possibility of studying overseas for a semester in third year.
I was not particularly anxious about travelling or being in the USA – this was in part thanks to the Global Office staff, who let me ask many silly questions before leaving. I was excited to meet new people and experience a new culture.
How were the classes?
After arriving at the university on a Saturday evening, we were welcomed by two students, Abigail and Sahil. It was then lovely to see two friendly faces around campus for the week!
We usually shadowed current students to go to our classes, all of whom were connected to St Andrews in some way: either they were our William & Mary counterparts on the First Abroad Programme, or they were part of the BA (International Honours) and spent two out of their four years at St Andrews. This was lovely, as we could talk about St Andrews and share our own experiences with them.
The class structure in William & Mary was significantly different to the lectures/tutorials/labs that I’m used to in St Andrews. From very small class sizes to larger ones with lively debates, to very specific classes such as The Enemy Among Us (a Russian spy film class) and Neurogenerative Diseases, no two classes are exactly the same.
One of my favourite classes was Study of Language, a linguistics class with an excellent lecturer that I attended with the lovely Abigail. Although being a science student, I actually enjoyed the arts and humanities classes at William & Mary more than the science ones!
What did you do outside of classes?
We spent some time walking through Colonial Williamsburg, which was lovely (though quite touristy). Actors dress up and carry out life as it would have been in the 1700s, like an open-air museum.
Another favourite activity of mine wasn’t planned, but after meeting some new friends I was asked to attend a talk on toxic academia. This opened my eyes on the differences in the education system between our countries, and ways that St Andrews is helping prevent toxic academia for our students and staff already.
How were the food options on campus?
William and Mary have two dining halls which are both open for most hours of the day (unlike St Andrews!). We ate our meals in Sadler, an all-you-can-eat style buffet. There were many choices, and as a vegetarian, I never struggled to find something I liked. Sadler had pizza, pasta, salad, sandwiches, soups and many other options as well as a dessert station with cereal, ice cream, and waffles.
Any key takeaways or advice for our next First Abroad students?
William & Mary is quite small, but it has convinced me that I would love to go back to the USA at some point and explore the country. This programme was a good introduction to studying overseas, particularly due to William & Mary’s similarities with university town here in St Andrews. Although William & Mary is more of a campus than our town, Williamsburg as a whole is very small and easy to navigate.
To future First Abroad students, I would say to just apply!! It’s always better to be open to opportunities and see what happens. The best part of this opportunity was the many friendly faces in Williamsburg. The students, staff and community were all so lovely. If you are successful in your application, approach people! The best way to get to know them is by approaching them, introducing yourself, and asking questions.
Thank you for sharing Sarah’s journey—real student stories help others decide. One gap I see is aligning credit transfer early so students don’t waste a semester. MAK Consultants helps confirm credit equivalency and craft SOPs that tie courses to career goals.