I had never set foot outside the United States before January 2026. Growing up, I knew I wanted to travel and experience life outside the US, but I never had the opportunity. Coming into college, I always thought about studying abroad, but I didn’t know if I would be able to because I was a STEM major with ambitious goals. In February of my freshman year (2025), I randomly decided to apply to study abroad in London, even though I had no previous desire to visit London. None of my friends were studying abroad, I knew no one in my program, and that is how I wanted it. I wanted an opportunity to branch outside my social circle and become a different version of myself.
Hi! My name is Leia! During my time in London, I lived in the borough of Islington/Angel and attended City St. George’s, University of London. I was lucky to have a class schedule of only 3 hours on Tuesday and Thursday, which gave me weekdays and weekends to shape my study abroad experience however I wanted. During my time abroad, I traveled to 7 countries and 18 cities, exploring both tourist destinations and places on a more local level.
With so much opportunity to explore, I took it upon myself to say yes to anything and everything; this included doing things on my own. Within the first week, I had seen a West End show, took a Thames River boat cruise, and saw the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, but I felt as if I needed to dive deeper into what I was meant to be doing in London. As my first Wednesday approached, I decided that from that day forward, Wednesdays would be dedicated to exploring different museums. Because my friends had class most days of the week, this meant I was going to be having a lot of time to venture on my own. It was extremely important to me to really grasp the city I was going to call home for the next three months.
I started at the iconic British Museum, then went to the V&A in South Kensington, and the Natural History Museum. At this point, I enjoyed my time visiting these places, but they were extremely touristy and didn’t feel like London on a real level. After doing more research, I came across two museums that piqued my interest: the Young V&A Museum and the Tate Britain. The Young V&A was hosting a Wallace & Gromit exhibition, which brought me back to my childhood. Walking around the exhibition made me feel like a little kid again and brought back memories of home, but in a comforting way, I was able to find pieces of myself in North London. Next, I was extremely excited to visit Tate Britain. My absolute all-time favorite song is Ophelia by the Lumineers, and it wasn’t until I researched the Tate Britain that I found out that the painting Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais was right in London. When I entered the room where Ophelia was, I felt an overwhelming sense of calmness followed by feeling like I had “made it.” At the time I saw the painting, I was listening to Ophelia in my headphones, and I couldn’t help but tear up; how was I living this life? If you had asked me a year ago if I would be looking at a painting that had greatly impacted me, I would not have believed you. Museums were one of the many places I found myself reflecting on my life and who I wanted to be as a person, while also learning a bit of history!
Not only did I explore London on my own, but I took two solo trips during my time abroad! In February, I had the opportunity to fly to Copenhagen, Denmark, for extremely cheap, so of course I took it. I spent the weekend wandering around the city and seeing sites like the Little Mermaid statue, Nyhavn, and Rosenborg Castle. I really enjoyed my trip and not just because I got to go to a different country and try different foods, but I really attribute my feelings towards this trip because I did it solo. It gave me time to think to myself, but also, I could do whatever I wanted without having to consult someone else, which was almost like unlocking a new level of freedom. But my solo traveling didn’t stop there.
For my final trip while I was abroad, I decided to take a solo trip to Ireland! I have never once considered going to Ireland, but when I was looking for places to go that weekend, Ireland was the cheapest by far. With that being said, I set off at 3 am and boarded my plane to Dublin, which ended up landing at 5 am, which was not ideal because nothing was open. I wandered around for about an hour until the nearest Starbucks opened, and I was able to get a coffee and warm up. For this trip, I really wanted to get outside my comfort zone and experience things I wanted to, so I toured Trinity College, did a Guinness Storehouse tour, and took a 13-hr road trip across Ireland with 40 strangers to see the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. Taking the road trip really allowed me to broaden what I thought I was capable of; it gave me a new sense of confidence and allowed me to grow into myself!
I will forever cherish my time abroad, and who knows, maybe London will become my home again someday! 🙂
Name: Leia Michel
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Political Science
Semester: Spring 2026
Location: London, UK
University/Program: Arcadia Abroad – City St. George’s, University of London
