Over this summer, I participated in the Engineering in London study abroad program. Through this immersive four-week, faculty-led program, I completed six credit hours towards my degree, met many new amazing people, and saw the sights of London. As I arrived in London I had to learn to navigate on their subway system called the tube. Though London is huge, mapping apps such as Google/Apple Maps and citymapper made getting around fairly easy.
My courses were Electro and Mechanical Components of Circuits and Thermodynamics. Both classes were interesting and built upon what is taught in EF 152/157. The schedule was Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. with a class trip and free time over the weekends. This allowed plenty of time to learn the material without feeling overly stressed and explore the sites of London. The smaller class size of the trip also helped create a more inviting environment where I got to know my classmates and professors well.
To accompany the weekday classes, we had multiple class trips that were planned throughout the four weeks. My favorite of these trips was our Kew Bridge Steam Museum tour. While learning about the processes of heat engines in thermodynamics, my understanding of the material was greatly improved by observing those same processes in the Steam Museum’s Cornish Bull Engine. This engine, built in 1856, was used to pump fresh water throughout its surrounding area in London. The class trips and landmarks of London made the experience one of a kind and introduced me to a new hands-on way of learning class materials.
Another aspect of this trip I found invaluable was the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. As a freshman entering the program, I only knew two others on the trip, but over our month together, I became good friends with many new people and created friendships that I look forward to continuing this fall when I am back on campus. This trip also provided an example of what moving to a new city for a career might look like as we had to plan our transport, shop for food, and were able to experience the culture of another country.
