Arcadia England

Hard to believe the semester is drawing to a close already.

It seems so very recently I was writing words of welcome and now the time comes around to bid you farewell on behalf of all the faculty and staff here in the London Center. We’ve enjoyed having you around – the semester has not been without its challenges but together, we’ve overcome, and enjoyed some great achievements, revelled in new experiences and, as always, have learned a great deal – this may indeed reflect how you feel about your study abroad experience!

I’m sure the time has passed more quickly than you would have liked – it tends to do that when you are living life intensely, when new experiences are thrown at you every day: new people, new environments, new routines, sights, sounds, ideas, tastes and ways of being: all this takes time to sediment down and develop into a more rounded understanding of how much you’ve grown and how the adjustments you’ve had to make (and wanted to make) have subtly changed you. Don’t expect to make sense of it all immediately, give it time and enjoy reflecting on the memories you have made and the new possibilities you have opened up.

Don’t expect to make sense of it all immediately, give it time and enjoy reflecting on the memories you have made and the new possibilities you have opened up.

After a few days when your friends are clearly getting tired of the stories and pictures from your life here, you’ll probably get flashbacks to your life in the UK – your journey to class, fun times with your flatmates or dorm buddies, eureka moments at a gallery or museum, in a class discussion or on your travels around the country and around continental Europe if you ventured that far.

Once you’ve experienced a little bit of distance in time and space from your semester with us, all of us at Arcadia in London very much hope that your time studying, living, learning abroad will start to crystallise and refract in new ways that inform and guide you as you progress through university into careers.

We love it when you stay in touch: let us know how you’re doing, what you’re up to, how your Study Abroad semester with Arcadia semester influenced choices, decisions and opportunities. We sincerely hope you’ll return in the not too distant future and if you happen to find yourself in London please stop by in person – you’ll always get a warm welcome at Southampton Place!