Name: Arlene Richford
Class: 2005
Major: Media Communications
Minor: Art History
Hometown: Dudley, MA

Studied at: Regent’s College, London—Spring 04

Arlene had always wanted to go to Europe. Since she didn’t have the opportunity in high school, and she decided to go in college. That choice turned out to be the best. “In terms of finances and experience, it was the best choice for me, because I got to live there four months while studying. It was probably the cheapest travel experience I could get.”

Arlene chose England because, although she had initially decided that she wanted to visit Spain, she realized that she didn’t want to deal with what she felt would be an inevitable language barrier. But from a land where the language was much more familiar, she branched out, visiting Venice, Rome, Paris, and Ireland. And she traveled extensively through England.

She found plenty of time to travel. “We had spring break, and there were no classes on Friday, and Thursday classes tended to get out early. “We could catch a flight on Thursday night and come back on Sunday. Some of the travel was through the school, so it was very easy to manage.”

While at Regents, she studied British media. She found that some things are similar between our two countries, “but others are very different. They have different laws over there, so where we tend to show more violence, they seem to show more intimate things. It was interesting to learn about the differences.”

While Arlene lived in a dorm with students from all over the United States, there was another dorm which was dominated by international students. But her classes included students from all over the world. “They were from ten or fifteen different countries. It was totally global.”

Would she do it again? “Oh, god, yes,” she insists. That’s one of the things that makes me really sad about being a senior, because I’d love to go do it all over again but I just don’t have the time. I would do it again in a second. It was so much better than anyone could tell you. You learn so much not only about yourself but about the world. My family looks at me differently – I’ve been to a part of the world that they’ve never been to.”

“It was an almost indescribable experience for me. I just learned so much. I never thought I would be able to go away from the United States for four months; it was the longest time and the farthest I had ever traveled alone. And there I was, traveling from country to country, making my own suppers, doing my own shopping. I used to feel independent living here in the dorms, but coming back from over there I felt like I was a whole new person. I loved London.”

Arlene offers some simple advice for those who are considering study abroad. “If you’re going to study abroad, enjoy every minute you’re there. Don’t think about home, because it’s over so fast. The first week may feel like a year, but the last sixteen weeks feel like one week, and I can’t tell you how true that is. I wasn’t ready to leave.”

“I think study abroad will help me with my job search – study abroad is a part of my resume, and I think that will really benefit me. I feel like I’m a better person for it, not so closed minded about everything. It was nice to be able to talk with British people and Italian people about America.”