Isla & Amy’s First Abroad Experience at William & Mary
Isla and Amy are first-year students at St Andrews. They went to William & Mary for a week in March on the First Abroad Programme – read about their experience below!
Travel:
Before going on the First Abroad trip, I was definitely most nervous for the travel. However, travelling together calmed my nerves significantly. Navigating the airport together and sitting side-by-side on the flight made the journey far more fun than stressful.
With this being my first long distance flight, I found myself getting excited over even the littlest things, like having unlimited movies on the plane. Upon arriving in Williamsburg, we immediately passed by a big yellow school bus! It was such an iconic reminder that we truly were in America now.
On our flight back, we were joined by two William & Mary students beginning their First Abroad week at St Andrews. We had the joy of establishing a friendship with them throughout the week at W&M, meeting up for classes and coffee, so travelling together was so relaxing!
Classes:
Throughout the week we attended a wide range of classes with William & Mary students. These included a lecture on Roman and Greek mythology discussing the Odyssey, and a seminar on American Statecraft which I found particularly interesting. We also sat in on a lecture about Shakespeare to see the direct contrast between something so typical of the United Kingdom, and how this would translate into the style of teaching we experienced at W&M. The contrast between the system at W&M in how classes are taught and participated in was a distinct difference that we noticed compared to St Andrews, particularly noting how the lectures are much more interactive than what we were used to.
Catering:
There were two catering halls at William & Mary, but we mostly ate at Sadler Dining Hall.
I was amazed at how many different options were available. It ranged daily from global cuisine to burgers & fries, pizza & pasta and a salad bar. It was open from 7am to 10pm and with our unlimited swipes, we had complete flexibility. Every dietary requirement was catered for. As a vegan myself, I always had loads of options to choose from!
Breakfast at Sadler Dining Hall was my personal favourite. We discovered the gem that is ‘Cinnamon Toast Crunch’ and it was honestly life-changing. Grits, not so much.
There were also loads of lovely spots to eat-out around Williamsburg. We loved the Cheese Shop which sells the BEST sandwiches! Chick-fil-A and Cookout were two student staples which we got to try! And ranch and honey mustard made all food infinitely better.
Social Life:
In the evenings, we got involved with the social side of W&M life. J We went to two basketball games (with a real-life pep band and cheer team?!) We went to an acapella event called Wren Ten, which felt as though we had stepped right into Pitch Perfect, and we hung out playing games at College Creek when the sun made an appearance.
A huge part of their social life, Greek Life, was completely new to us. We visited a sorority house on our first night and managed to speak with loads of students involved in ‘sisterhoods.’ It was so different, but parts of it did remind me a bit of the academic family tradition which we have at St Andrews!
Williamsburg:
During our time in Williamsburg, we made the most of the history right on our doorstep. Almost the entire William and Mary campus was built with the same colonial-style red brick, which really lent itself to the historical nature of the college. W&M was founded in 1693 – not quite as old as St Andrews, but the second oldest university in the United States after Harvard! We also visited the Crim Dell bridge, where the William and Mary tradition states that people who cross it together are destined to be friends forever. This reminded us a lot of the PH for Patrick Hamilton outside St Salvator’s Chapel, although we agreed that being friends forever is a lot better than failing your exams!
We spent a lot of time exploring Colonial Williamsburg, the living history museum with people dressed up in colonial outfits and sometimes using colonial-era accents and grammar. Entrance to the museum is free for students, so we were able to make the most of our W&M student cards. There were even horses tied up at the side of the pavement, and a field with sheep and lambs! We also visited the Muscarelle Museum of Art, taking in William and Mary’s expansive art collection. This included an exhibition on female artists in abstract impressionism, another about the history of William & Mary as the ‘alma mater of the nation’ and simply exploring their permanent collection.
Closing Thoughts & Advice:
This opportunity was unlike anything either of us has either done. Being able to have the quintessential American college experience through the First Abroad programme was a dream come true, and the perspective we gained from it will last a lifetime. From attaining a more nuanced cultural and historical knowledge of the United States and Williamsburg to simply gaining confidence in ourselves as we spent more time there, this experience has been deeply significant for both of us. To anyone wondering whether they should take the opportunity to study abroad, whether through the First Abroad programme or by other means – you absolutely should. This experience has set us up for further similar adventures with a new ability to take the plunge into whatever awaits. Thank you to William & Mary for giving us such an unforgettable experience, and to the First Abroad programme for making it happen in the first place!
To learn more about the First Abroad Programme, check out the programme website or contact [email protected].