Yara Al-Jitan's Unique Semester Abroad at Colchester, England

Yara Al-Jitan

When Yara Al-Jitan landed in Colchester, England, for her Fall 2019 study abroad at the University of Essex, it wasn't quite what she expected. Colchester was extremely different from the UAE; it's a small, quaint town populated with tiny houses and no buildings. But Yara soon began to realize that she didn't need to be in a bustling city to have a great study abroad experience.

Yara, an international relations major, had her concerns before she left for her study abroad: "I was so scared, because I knew I’d have to leave my family and my friends and be on my own. It was [also] kind of exciting, but honestly, the thought of being away from my little brother for so long - super scary! So I just tried to block that thought out, and it worked! I think I’d give that piece of advice: don’t think about it too much."

She also had some expectations for her semester abroad. Yara says she had an image of study abroad from movies, websites and pictures - that it would be fast-paced and chock-full of experiencing new things and going to glamorous places.

However, Colchester was a different type of study abroad destination. "I feel like it was good because I slowly started to realize that I don’t have to do that to have a good study abroad experience. There's so much more I could do. So I used that time to just sit down and reflect on my own, and as surprising as it sounds, I reconnected with my religion, my people, and myself. I think I’ve also become a lot more independent. I grew a lot, I’ve learned so much, and I’m just able to handle myself no matter what's thrown at me."

The University of Essex also has a lot of historic and cultural importance, which made it fascinating to the international relations major. "The university was a space for minorities to speak up. Nelson Mandela once visited there. It was really nice to be there, because you can feel how politically active everyone is," she said. "I was able to open dialogues and talk openly and constructively about issues that are very important to me as an international relations major. It helped me understand what I want to do and where I want to go in the future."

Yara concludes that the best part of her experience was the personal growth she experienced. To any prospective study abroad students, she says, "Just go on your own terms, have no expectations, and make of it everything you can. It doesn't have to be what other people say it has to be."


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist

Summer at the University of Oxford

Salma Elgerby at our office

English major Salma Elgerby had a genuinely special semester abroad at the University of Oxford's Exeter College, Oxford, England, in Summer 2019. From Harry Potter-esque house sorting to one-on-one tutorials with faculty, Salma got to enjoy the uniquely British character of the college - and she wishes the experience had never ended. She told us a bit about her time there, and on Nov. 17, she will deliver the bulk of our information session about this program to encourage other AUS students to take the opportunity.

Salma absolutely loved the experience and said the "worst thing about it is that it ended." She said the Exeter College Summer Program provides 'Program Ambassadors,' who are like parents. The 83 students who attended last summer were divided into houses, like in Harry Potter and as is typical of the British system. Each house had a 'parent' (who was actually another Oxford student) to provide guidance and organize a wide range of daily activities for the students. The students got to do 3-4 activities per day, including punting on the river, boutique shopping, trips to London to visit The Shakespeare Globe Theatre, and more. Salma added that the housing itself was like a hotel - it was extremely nice and even better than she expected.

Salma took two courses during the summer: Literatures of Modernism, which transferred back to AUS as a 3-credit course, and Moral Philosophy. The credits for the latter didn't transfer, but she loved the course and was really glad to have taken it. She said there was a heavy reading load, but it was manageable, and she got an A- in both courses. The structure for Oxford courses is quite different from AUS; for each course, they have six lectures (of 1.5 hours each, and with little student participation), then six seminars (with lots of discussion and participation), and then four tutorials. According to Salma, the tutorials were the best part, as they had two-on-one or even one-on-one discussions with faculty, which resulted in very intellectual conversations.

We asked her about why she was okay taking courses when she knew the credits wouldn't transfer, and she said there was a lot of value and knowledge in that course. She added that this whole opportunity led to recommendation letters from Oxford faculty and contacts all over the world, and you never really know where all that could lead to.


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist