COLLEGE/UNI

I am now in school mode and I find myself making comparisons between my first days of college and my first days of my year abroad. I want to share a few of the differences so those of you with children at school in the US will feel extremely grateful you did not choose a place in the United Kingdom. I did not want to generalize these examples for all US and UK schools, so I kept the comparisons to Williams-LSE only (even if some of the descriptions might function for all US and UK educational systems). 

Word for "University"

Williams: College

LSE: Uni, pronounced yoo-nee

Orientation Week

Williams: First Days aka Camp Williams. A week of outdoor trips and other orientation activities, campus tours, and lectures on adjusting to college life and the deplorable dangers of alcohol. 

LSE: Freshers Festival. Two weeks of activities ranging from brief induction meetings, sponsored pub crawls, park parties, club nights, and silent discos (?).

Induction Meetings

Williams: A formal celebration. Seniors put on robes. The headmaster of the school makes a speech about the upcoming year. Overall, a dignified ceremony governed by centuries of tradition.

LSE: I was forced to suffer through the new undergraduate meeting, where the administration explained to freshmen what college was like (been there, done that). Apparently, this year only counts for 1/9 of their college GPA so freshers (first-years) should take advantage of their surroundings...but they should still take the year "seriously". The meeting for my program just advertised all the travel options to explore and societies to join during our one year. 

New Student Party

Williams: A BBQ (probably inside our fieldhouse due to inclement weather) that might even have ice cream if the students are lucky. Parents are usually invited as the cherry on top of a sundae of self-consciousness. 

LSE: Stick all the new kids on a boat with an open bar to ride down the Thames River. 

Student Union/Student Center

Williams: The Paresky Center. An architectural feat according to my art history professor. The interior looks like a glorified ski lodge with a dining hall, snack bar, plenty of couch space and study areas, and a pub/grill that only serves beer/wine on weekends. Generally a very quiet space unless it is hosting a dance or musician (rare). 

LSE: The Student Union building. A dingy dark pub on the first floor and a big open cement space on the ground floor. Home to a bookstore, restaurant, two bars that are open every day of the week and a cafe that doubles as a student-night club on the weekends. I have gone in at 11 in the morning and seen a surprisingly large number of people having a pint before class. 

Sports

Williams: Winner of the Director's Cup eight years in a row. Sports practice five days a week, sometimes even six. Most do not allow alcohol consumption of any kind during the season. Both boys and girls teams are very competitive. Athletic facilities on site. 

LSE: I went to my first football (soccer) training (practice) on Sunday, well-prepared with my studs (soccer cleats) and pads (shin guards). Our pitch (field) is a 20 minute train ride away from the city. I showed up without playing soccer for the past three years and I was one of the few players who seemed able to kick with both feet. Women's sports are not taken seriously here at all. There is one women's football team and there are SEVEN men's football teams. Teams practice only once a week. ONCE. Also on the sports team schedules: every Wednesday is Athletic Union night at the Student Union bars. You would be considered a bad teammate if you did not go out drinking every Wednesday night. Even if, like me, you have Thursday 9 am lecture. On the upside, according to students here, lectures are optional. 

On more than one occasion, LSE has preached about their prestige in the international social science community. I have to laugh a little because for the level of seriousness about their academic reputation, their social customs indicate otherwise. I'm certainly not complaining about this contradiction.