| Money, Money, Money! - bring as much as you can - and know that none of it's going home - England is expensive ... the sooner you learn that and accept it, the better your time will be - be aware of how much you have but don't be too frantic - if you're always talking about money you won't make any friends - tell your grandparents not to send you cheques and ESPECIALLY not bank orders - they might think it's best and safe, but you won't be able to cash them until you go home and bank orders are difficult things to manouver... you can never be sure if you're going to get the full amount when you cash them in a country (Canada) where the currency on the order (Pounds) is not the native one - Some people went to Hailsham and opened accounts but I don't think they ever used them - if you are with Scotia bank they have partner institutions where you can take out money and not pay service charges. In the UK these banks are Barclay's and in France the are BNP Paribas. They have them in Italy and Germany and others too, do your research. However. Do not drive your friends crazy running around Paris looking for a BNP because you don't want to spend 10 extra dollars... (ASHLEY!!!) - the less you spend on food and disposable items, the more money you'll have for travelling - buy souveniers in the castle shop - if you get home and don't have a castle travel mug that you thought was commonplace while you were there - you'll miss it. The sweatshirts may not be ideal but you'll miss those too. Trust me. What they NEVER tell you Listen to what they do say. The laundry machines are smaller - the culture shock is real, especially returning home... but here's some other things to think about - The castle is not as big as you think - There aren't a lot of people and everybody knows your business - Unless you actively seek out Brits, you won't find them - Some roommate selections did not work out at all - but some were good - You won't be the smartest kid in school anymore - you might not even be in the top of the class - but that's because you're studying with a bunch of really great smart people - the sooner you accept it the more you'll benefit from it - Expect a drop in your grades from high school. 10-15% is not unusual - There aren't any dishes for you. None. No really. - The castle is really like a big High School - it's like a stepping stone because the classes are smaller but the work is more intense - Sometimes umbrellas don't work. They can be so wet that the rain goes right on through - There aren't very many extra spot on field study trips - There are more girls than guys. Many more. Living at Bader Hall, and Surviving - Establish a system with your roommate so that you don't get locked out during the night - Join in on hall parties and hang out in A2 because you'll see all the action - Personalize your room and your space - Keep a small pantry for late night hunger pains - Make friends with the security guards and front desk staff - Take advantage of the availability of your teachers - they live right there! - Figure out the network - Become a Student Chat regular - Rearrange your room - it can be nice to have something different than everyone else - this is also a good procrastination tool - Try to keep a tidy room - your roommate won't hate you and you'll think clearly and be less frantic when you're looking for something early one friday morning while the coach leaves without you - Be creative with storage - Meet the people in your hall and do things together - Make friends - it's more important sometimes to find out what's going on outside of your room than at home. - School work isn't everything - If you're having problems with your roommate figure it out early on Yes, I said "Study"! - Pick courses that you're interested in but don't kill yourself, either - A courseload like this: Geography, History, English, Art History, Politics might cause you mental anguish and physical pain. - If you pick half courses you can escape in January if they're not what you expected - Break up a heavy schedule with language courses - but only if you're naturally good at them... they can help you tremendously, or bring you down - Women's Studies is a also a good course to take if you need a lighter load - Take Art History - you'll learn a lot and get GREAT trips out of the deal!! Daphne is wonderful. - You'll never take another Politics course like this one. Do it! - Psychology is very scientifically based. Keep that in mind. - Think about field studies when you pick courses. Drama is more likely to have trips than Psychology (there were none!) - Use time management and be realistic... do not say you're going to spend the whole day studying because you won't - It's a lot of work. It's an environment were you have a full courseload in a four day week but the weekends are booked with both mandatory trips and extra travelling. If you can figure it out - you'll be fine. - See about taking an upper year course in first or second term |