The Big Picture

 

My freshman year of college I took my first history class, History 112: US History Since 1865 throughout this class we learned about US history and some of the traditions and customs that are specific to the United States. Then, my junior year of college I studied abroad in London. I enrolled in a history class called                                      . In this class we learned about some of the traditions and customs specific to England Parliament. Taking these two classes really opened my eyes to the differences between the United States and England, not only pertaining to government but also societal differences. 

 

The proceedings of Parliament are very similar to how they’re portrayed in movies. They wear wigs, costume clothes and they have strange traditions. For example, they have to read each bill they want to pass three times. In my eyes, this is very strange because it seems like they would never get anything done. In the United States, we don’t have anything like this. People in congress wear normal clothes and the bills they want to pass are not read three times before they can do anything. While things may not be passed through Congress any more quickly than Parliament, we do not have outlandish                  like they do. Although there are stark differences between Parliament and Congress and The Senate here, it still doesn't takeaway from the importance of either governing body. I highlighted the                                              in a paper I wrote for my History of Parliament course. Learning about these differences at the governmental level made me think about the other differences between the United States and England, specifically London because that’s where I was studying.

 

There were many things I noticed that were different between here and London, but one thing that really stood out to me, other than governmental traditions was the difference in education. In the United States, I thought people took school seriously, especially the people I was around due to my major. But the thought of taking school seriously was taken to the extreme when I was abroad. The students at University College London (UCL) were some of the most dedicated students I have ever been around. In London school is structured differently than it is here. They decide what they want to major in in high school; their college is only three years and at UCL their year is organized into trimesters. The first and second trimesters are when they take classes and then the third trimester is for finals. The difference in organization of the school year really requires the students to be extremely self-motivated. I was blown away by their dedication to school and it made me reflect on my education.

My experience studying abroad made me reflect on my decision to go to school to become a Physician Assistant (PA) following my undergraduate schooling. I think this decision will require me to be extremely self motivated and dedicated similar to the students in London. My time at UCL reaffirmed my decision to PA school and reassured me that I am just as self-motivated and dedicated as the students I was studying with at UCL and that hard work really pays off.

 

Studying abroad not only made me reflect and apply a comparative lens to my US history class and history of Parliament class it also made me apply a comparative lens to the education system. I think this made me put into perspective how vast the world is and how I am such a small part of so many greater things. It made me realize the differences between two places but also how I can fit into both. The self-discovery I was able to accomplish through my courses at USC and UCL and my time in London will stick with me as I embark on the challenging journey through PA school.