I was fortunate enough to participate in the Honors in Cambridge study abroad program
this summer. The program was a month long, July 10 to August 7, and we lived in dorms on the
campus of Emmanuel College, one of the 31 colleges that make up Cambridge University. Our
professor, Dr. Heffernan lived in Cambridge for many years while he was studying at the
university, and he lived at Emmanuel. Emmanuel’s campus was beautiful, with lawns and
walkways between the buildings, as well as the green outside the chapel – what we would call a
courtyard. The gates of Emmanuel opened up onto a main street in Cambridge that had
different stores, pubs, cafes, and restaurants on it. We were a fairly short walk from everything,
including the river.

We had class 3-4 mornings depending on the week. We were taking two classes, history
of the English people and history of the English language. To prepare for class we would usually
watch a couple videos and do a reading. We would have class in the morning between
breakfast and lunch, which we ate at the college. One day a week at least was devoted to a field
trip day as a class. The first week we traveled to Ely Cathedral, Bury St. Edmunds, and Sutton
Hoo. We also toured the beautiful King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. The second week was
Blickling Hall and Castle Acre. The third week was Oxford. The fourth week was Canterbury and
Canterbury Cathedral. We also went into London as a class that last Thursday to visit the British
Library and British Museum. Outside of class, a group of us went to London on our own twice
over the weekends.

We were lucky enough to have a long weekend built into the program where we didn’t
have class, and this allowed us to travel to other places. Some people went to Paris, but I went
to Edinburgh with three other girls. We took the train along the coast on Thursday and stayed in
an Airbnb. On Friday we hiked up Arthur’s Seat in the morning, which gave us a great view of
the city, toured Edinburgh Castle, and walked around the city and did some shopping. On
Saturday, we took a coach tour through the Highlands. We met Highland cows, saw the Three
Sisters at Glencoe, drove through the Cairngorms National Park, and stopped at Loch Lochy
and Loch Ness, among many other places. It was an amazing experience, and the Highlands
are the most beautiful place I have ever seen. We took the train back down to Cambridge on
Sunday.

Overall, this trip was an absolutely fantastic experience. Our group all became such
good friends during the month, and getting to live at Emmanuel College was so cool. We saw
many amazing places during the month, and I learned a lot during classes and the field trips.
This trip was such a great and valuable experience, and I am so lucky I got to be part of it.