Put simply, it\u2019s a whole another world out there. You\u2019ll find yourself re-learning basic social behaviours and manners from scratch. People communicate differently, move differently and interact differently. Some things we would consider socially acceptable isn\u2019t considered so over there and vice versa. You\u2019ll find that the majority of people at your university will be from the state it\u2019s located in. This is thanks to a law which makes it cheaper and easier for residents of a state to attend its universities than universities in other states. In a place like North Carolina, people have different attitudes and habits, about pretty much everything. Living in London for most my life I thought everyone is as sarcastic or sharing as a Londoner is. But you quickly realise that that is not the case. This is not to say people in North Carolina are not at all, just not to the extent of Londoners. And they will have personality traits that we won\u2019t have as much of. This is one of the most eye-opening things you\u2019ll learn on your study abroad experience. That people around the world are so different from each other. It lets you clearly see the habits and ideologies that you live by that were brought upon you due to the place that you grew up in. People dress differently, address one another differently and see each other differently. What you and your best friend are willing to do for each other won\u2019t be the same as what 2 North Carolinian best friends would do for each other. And that\u2019s where you learn what\u2019s unique about the ideologies you live by. The personality of people will be different depending on where you attend. For instance, people in California will be different than those at Michigan. There\u2019s no \u2018better\u2019 personality, it\u2019s just that they\u2019re different. But no matter what they\u2019re like, you\u2019ll learn that they are very different to you and you\u2019ll ultimately learn about yourself.<\/p>\n
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The sports<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s impossible to write an article on American schools without mentioning sports. King\u2019s is in London. London has multiple major football teams. But you\u2019d never know if you were a tourist just looking around. America is the exact opposite. Sports is everywhere and is dearly loved by Americans. In order to play professional sports in America, an athlete has to go through the sports system at universities and schools. Professional sports and universities are very closely tied. This makes universities care greatly about their athletics department. I believe all the universities KCL has a partnership with are Division 1 schools. Meaning, they\u2019re the best of the best in terms of their athletics. No matter what university you go to, the university will have immense sports facilities. I\u2019m talking an American football stadium the size of Wembley, countless basketball courts, free gyms, swimming pools etc. You will run into athletes on campus who will become professionals in a few years and you even get to see them perform for free. UNC in particular is a huge basketball school. Michael Jordan played there, so you can imagine the basketball facilities they have. I was able to attend a few of their games and got to see some players who are currently in the NBA. The best part about this is that they are very inclusive. The American football stadium is open most the time for anyone to go in, the gyms are free, the basketball courts are free. The perks are endless. It\u2019s probably a good thing you have all that access to sports facilities because you\u2019ll find yourself gaining a little weight. Thanks to the incredible food.<\/p>\n The Food<\/strong><\/p>\n Since I have returned from my study abroad, I have not spent a penny on food in London. Why? Because it\u2019s \u2018trash\u2019, as Americans call it. Honestly, the food there is so much better that you won\u2019t want to spend your hard-earned money on English KFC and Sams Chicken ever again. You\u2019d rather save it for when you go back to America. The food options are endless. All the food chains you hear about on the internet are there, and yes, they are very good. Chick Fil A, Wendy\u2019s and a ton of other places you won\u2019t have heard of but are very popular. The food quantities are substantial, and the prices are very fair. Every area in the US has food which is unique to it too. For example, North Carolina is considered \u2018The South\u2019 and so there\u2019s lots of southern food floating about everywhere. North Carolina ice sweet tea is a thing, it is served everywhere, and it is utterly wonderful. Every state has some exclusive restaurant chains too which are always worth exploring. North Carolina has a place called Cookout where you can get a massive burger, fries, hush puppies, a quesadilla and an enormous milkshake for $7. That\u2019s basically \u00a34. Imagine all the meal deals you\u2019ve had for \u00a33. Throw in an extra quid and you\u2019ll get all that. Unbelievable Jeff. I know most of you won\u2019t have heard of hush puppies before. Take note that you\u2019ll have lots of food there that you wouldn\u2019t have had before. All the universities will also have a dining hall which is basically a buffet. The students there are so spoiled with good food that they don\u2019t think it\u2019s all that great but the food in the dining halls is easily comparable to the quality of food at Wasabi Sushi and Bento or other semi cheap options in London. It will have burgers, pizza, ice cream machines, unlimited cookies, and so much more. Don\u2019t hesitate to spend money on food there because there are so many more options than in London and you\u2019ll rarely regret the food you end up buying. There\u2019s also a lot more Mexican food and emphasis on dishes that aren\u2019t so big in London. The same way London doesn\u2019t have many burrito places, American cities won\u2019t have so many Thai food places.<\/p>\n American Universities<\/strong><\/p>\n The universities out there are a textbook definition of what a university should be. Fun times, big campuses, loads of people, great weather, good food etc. Everything you\u2019ve seen in the movies is real. It\u2019s not a fa\u00e7ade. Those massive campuses you see with an American flag planted in the middle of a park size courtyard actually exist. All those frat parties and stories you hear about actually happen. And this is your opportunity to go out and see it close up. You might even realise you like it way more than what you currently have going and alter your life to end up there one day.<\/p>\n It\u2019s very important that I emphasise that the experience depends on you too. If you go there and only talk to other English people, only play \u2018soccer\u2019 and eat beans on toast everyday you\u2019re not going to learn much and won\u2019t have much fun. In order to get the most out of the experience, you need to be willing to try new things and join in their society. Eat their traditional food and play their sports. That\u2019s how you get to learn new things and get the most out the experience.<\/p>\n Ultimately the saddest part about the experience is that you can\u2019t properly express all your new learned knowledge and experiences to others. You can read this and pick up that people have different social norms in other parts of the world, but you will not nearly grasp the extent of it until you see it for yourself. I can sit here and tell you that you\u2019ll learn new things, but you won\u2019t truly understand this until you go abroad yourself. This is one of the few chances you\u2019ll have to go abroad and be a fully functioning member of that society, as opposed to a tourist. And as a result, you\u2019ll learn so much. Not only will you learn about the world more and what different places are like, what different people are like. You\u2019ll learn about yourself more. You\u2019ll come to realise what you truly like and don\u2019t like. I\u2019ve lived in London for 15 years and so I\u2019ve never experienced not living in a big city. But now that I have, I\u2019ve realised that I like the quiet life way more. I prefer the nature and scenery to the hustle and busyness of London. You\u2019ll learn about yourself and what you give priority to. On top of that, you\u2019ll learn about the world. What different people around the world are like and the ideas they have. How they approach problems and their outlook on life. And that\u2019s a type of knowledge you can never have too much of.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This blog is for those of you who want to do a study abroad in America. I\u2019ll be going over some of the key aspects of the experience and what you can expect. I myself did my study abroad at UNC Chapel Hill so there\u2019ll be some content specifically to do with that University but … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/kingssas\/files\/2019\/11\/Football-stadium-300x225.jpg\")
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