Unparalleled Opportunity
To say I’m anxious to start this program is a bit of an understatement. As I’m writing this, I sit in my room among a mess of unpacked clothes attempting to prioritize what will outfit me most efficiently over the next eight weeks. Preparing myself for this trip has been a lot harder than I expected. Spending weeks in a foreign country is a new experience much different than anything I’ve undertaken before. Even throughout college, I’ve never lived more than one hour from my home for greater than a week. I suppose this experience is going to be interesting.
Most of my apprehensions about this trip seem to be comfort-related. I know no one in this program, and I’ll be living in a foreign land. How will I be able to enjoy myself in this situation? How will I perform at my internship or academically? These are all unknowns I will soon figure out.
Studying abroad is a staple of the American college experience; it’s not as though I’m venturing into something none have done before myself. The thoughts pervading my mind at the moment are mostly how this experience will shape my future — academically, professionally, culturally, normatively, or otherwise. I’m stepping into a lot of unknowns, but an opportunity like this is unparalleled.
The Hansard Society Scholars program combines traditional study abroad course work with an internship placement in the Houses of Parliament. The course on Parliamentary Politics is taught in association with the London School of Economics, and the internship placement is based mostly on personal policy preferences. The reason I became interested in this particular program is primarily due to this one-of-a-kind match of public policy work and academia.
When studying abroad, I intend to make the most of my experience. If I were heading to London and taking math courses, I would feel uninspired — I can learn the same mathematical principles in London that I can learn at home. However, engaging with the legislative body I’ll be studying will be an immersive learning opportunity that most students abroad will not experience — similar to Northeastern’s drive for experiential learning.
Additionally, the City of London is also what sparked my interested in this particular program. I’ve always wanted to live for some time in the United Kingdom because of both its cultural uniqueness and its normative likeness to the United States. During this program, I really hope I can familiarize myself with the culture and enjoy the city!
I want this trip to be fun, but I am also fully focused on my goals: coming out with a robust understanding of parliamentary political systems and developing unique political knowledge. The point of this program is to provide American students with the ability to do just that. I am totally confident I’ll come out of this experience with unparalleled knowledge of parliament — and hopefully have some fun as well!
— Daniel
