Oxford: An Unexpected Journey
By Shannon Sullivan, Business Administration and Marketing ‘14
If someone were to ask me what my favorite time was as a Florida Tech student, I would have no hesitation in my answer: studying abroad at Oxford. Studying at Oxford was something that I had always wanted to do, as was going to England in general, so I knew that I would have an incredible time there in the first place, but my stay there far and away exceeded my expectations.
If I had to pinpoint the best moment, it would be nearly impossible. From day trips to places like London and Bath, to deep conversations in class, and getting into all kinds of shenanigans with friends, every second of the trip is something that I’ll always cherish. The trip is six weeks long and by the end, you wind up feeling like a local.
Some of the many highlights of the trip for me were the shows we went to see in London. I had never been much of a fan of musical theater, but I must admit that seeing such huge productions was impressive. I even wound up surprising myself by thoroughly enjoying Wicked! The musicals were fantastic, but I enjoyed the plays even more, particularly The Cripple of Inishmaan, starring Daniel Radcliffe (who I got to meet after the show!), and Book of Mormon.
The classes are challenging yet still very fun and the professors are incredible. I chose to take Marketing Principles and a class on J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, both of which I found to be very interesting. I really enjoyed studying the principles of marketing from an international perspective, and the in-class discussions about Tolkien and Lewis never failed to be entertaining.
Long weekends are built into your time there and are perfect for travelling in and out of the country. During most of my weekends, I took a few day trips to London for shopping and sightseeing. On one of the four-day weekends, I went on the group trip to Paris, which certainly was an experience I’ll remember forever.
As someone who can be fairly shy when first meeting people, I was nervous that making friends with my classmates would be somewhat difficult, but all my worries were washed away by the end of the first dinner together. Even though we all came from different backgrounds with different personalities, we all meshed together well, and it’s safe to say that I’ve made some friends that will last me a lifetime.
If you’re someone who is thinking of taking part in the program and have any questions, feel free to leave comment.
