As an Associate (study abroad) student at Queen Mary, I have a lot of support staff available to me if I need them. I had communicated with members of the study abroad office prior to arriving at Queen Mary about issues I was having with my schedule and credits transferring back, and they were also helpful in getting all of that finalized when I first arrived last month. The study abroad office sends us emails a couple times a month outlining various events and opportunities available to us, but so far, I haven’t had a need to contact them, as I haven’t had any major issues since I started classes. Associate students also have specific faculty members in each department in which we’re taking classes that we can reach out to about more course-specific issues. I only have two, since my classes are either in the English or the Drama department, and I haven’t had the need to utilize their help yet. It’s definitely different from Northeastern, as we don’t have a specific academic advisor or mentor within my department of study, but help is readily available if I need it.
While I’m finding all my classes and professors interesting and exciting, I would have to say my favorite so far is my Adaptations course, taught by Daniel Oliver. The class is rooted in experimental performance art, and Daniel is a performance artist himself who still performs in London, so it’s been really cool having someone with firsthand knowledge of the field teach us these techniques. I’ve done a bit of devised theatre/performance art since starting university, but what I’m learning in this course is very different from anything I’ve experienced at Northeastern.
Highlights from the week: taking a day trip this past Saturday to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath (getting outside the city and seeing these famous places was incredible, it was such a fun adventure!) and seeing some friends from Boston who are visiting this weekend!
