STUDY ABROAD

Sarah Blackburn

Location: University of Tampere, Finland

Coursework: Games Studies Masters program courses and Computer Graphics

Lessons learned: Cooking and adaptability

Elaine Robbins

Location: Leiden University, Netherlands

Coursework: Research Methods, Comparative Politics, and Introductions to Art in China

Lessons learned: Self-reliance and problem-solving

Kiera Doyle

Location: Johannes Kepler University, Austria

Coursework: Chemistry

Lessons learned: Mindfulness

Despite my sophomore status here at VWU, while I was abroad I took courses from Tampere University’s Game Studies Masters program. Most of my classes focused on games (of all varieties, not exclusively video games) where we studied everything from what makes something a game, what games do for people, creation of games, and we even got to make game concepts and test them out. One course that wasn’t directly video game related was my computer graphics course, where I had to code in GLSL to create visuals on the screen. It was undoubtedly my hardest class as I had to learn a new coding language and the code was based on math using vectors in 3D spaces. I would like to note that I studied abroad early compared to others, so while I was 19 the other abroad students were 21-24 and my master’s courses were usually aged 25+.

This was the first time I lived alone, and I can confidently say that I learned a lot about individualism and how to function as a lone adult without my parents hovering over me. For example, the campus cafeterias were only open 10 am-2 pm and didn’t open on weekends, meaning I had to cook the vast majority of my meals. On top of that, I didn’t have a phone plan of any kind, in Europe, and had to keep my phone on airplane mode for five months straight, this meant that I was reliant on wifi if I wanted to use my phone. Meaning I had to navigate to and from campus and around town only off on my sense of direction because I didn’t have google maps or anything like that. I was able to do it all with relative ease, meanwhile, the other students studying abroad weren’t able to. I ended up helping out other students almost daily in the kitchen (all of which were older than me), but it certainly showed me how mature and self-reliant I was.

A key takeaway was to always put myself out there and step out of my comfort zone. It is also important to be open to new people nad to absorb everything you can. Also, being present and being adventurous is super important to maximize your time and opportunities!

Learn more about the BHC Global Residency Experience at https://www.vwu.edu/academics/batten-honors-college/global-residency.php