An Experience to Remember

Elizabeth Braatz, a University of Minnesota Twin Cities student, studied abroad at Bangor University in the Fall Semester of 2015. Below, she shares some thoughts about her experience. 

Are you interested in studying the environment? Don't discount Bangor University in Wales! I spent a summer in Bangor and it a truly incredible experience.

Bangor is a beautiful small town that gives you the chance to enjoy a very local feel while also being very well-connected to rail systems that lead to the rest of the UK. It's also literally ten miles away from Snowdonia National Park, the highest point in Wales and site of Mt. Snowdon. I got to take a class all about the ecology and history of Snowdonia National Park, and was amazed at how different the park management in the UK was compared to the USA. The classes are also excellent -- each one I took included a very hands-on element and site visits to places like Snowdonia National Park.

I found that from a cultural standpoint it was a very immersive experience -- I got to share a dorm with students from across the UK, celebrate a Welsh football (aka soccer) victory, try my first cheesy chips with mushy peas, and visit oodles of castles! Overall, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I learned about styles of resource management very different -- but no less valuable -- than that of the US, made friends from across Europe, learned about cultures I had barely even heard of, watched games, ate pasties, and walked to a town named Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoc.