Ashley Smith

Student Profile

Name: Ashley Smith

Major: English and History [TES] - Option in Pre-Modern Studies

Exchange University: The University of Birmingham, England

Advice: “England is rainy. I knew this going into it, but I don’t think I was fully prepared for how rainy it gets here. Definitely invest in waterproof shoes, a good rain jacket, and an umbrella. The drainage systems here are lowkey terrible, meaning there’s flooding and puddles everywhere and they’re often unavoidable – so try to get shoes that prevent you from soaking your socks. Also, my advice would be to save up whatever you can to go abroad. Studying abroad is expensive with tuition and residence costs, but you’re also going to want to travel and get souvenirs and go out on the town – so you need money."

Questions

Why did you decide to travel abroad?

The Study Abroad program was really emphasized for me, as a TES student, and I figured why not take the opportunity to travel the world and experience something totally different from university in Canada? I figured studying abroad would be a great way to immerse myself in the actual physical locations important to the literature and history I was learning about back home in Canada, while also gaining a new perspective on what university looks like in an institution vastly different from Trent.

Why did you choose to study at The University of Birmingham? How did you learn about it?

I chose the University of Birmingham for a multitude of reasons. I wanted an opposite experience to Trent, so I chose a larger university with a big campus to see what I wasn’t experiencing at Trent. I also liked the university’s (somewhat) central location to major cities in England, as it made travel navigable so I could go visit sites of academic interest for both my History and English majors (i.e., The Globe, Stratford-Upon-Avon, The British Museum, etc.). The University of Birmingham also has a good history program and offers tons of academic resources – including some very interesting primary sources located in the library’s Cadbury Research Archives. As for the country, I wanted to go somewhere where there wouldn’t be a language barrier that was still rich with history, and where I could easily access other European countries of historical interest (i.e., Italy, France). As well, a majority of what I study is English Renaissance literature, and Medieval English History, so England seemed like a great place to go and immerse myself in what I’ve been reading/writing about for the past three years.

What was your experience like? What are some of the differences & similarities with Trent?

I felt that the academic experience in Canada versus England was very different – not necessarily in a positive or negative way, just different. I noticed that there is much more demand from Canadian coursework, in terms of both actual projects and readings. I found that, at Trent, I was averaging four or five major assignments per class (on top of copious amounts of readings per class) – whereas at the University of Birmingham I only have one assignment per class (a 48-hour take-home exam with two 1,500-word essay questions) and minimal readings. Plus, I was only taking three modules at Birmingham, verses five courses at Trent – thus there’s a significant difference in how much work I was doing, and how I organized my time. If I could turn back time, I’d tell myself to not stress out and that simply doing the readings, taking good notes, and participating in class discussion would be enough – even though it is wildly less work than required from you at Trent. 

What did you find was the most challenging/difficult while abroad?

The food was really difficult to adapt to at first. There’s a cultural conception of Britain as having bland, flavourless food – and I find it to be partially true (depending on where you eat). Typical, “traditional” British cuisine (I find) lacks flavour or seasoning – and, unfortunately, a lot of the meal plan food was British cuisine. I’m used to cooking for myself, and I enjoy cooking with flavour and spices, as well as making foods from a variety of different cultures (i.e., Chinese, Indian, Thai, Italian, etc.). The lack of variety or seasoning was difficult, as weird as it sounds. I did really enjoy when I went out non-British restaurants, but more often than not I was eating on my meal plan. I quickly learned to have salt and pepper and seasoning on hand for my meal-plan food.

Were you able to travel?

I’ve travelled all around England itself, as well as around Europe; Oxford, London, Nottingham, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Brighton, Paris, Valencia, Cagliari, Vatican City, Rome, Pisa, Florence, Palma de Mallorca, and Genoa. My favourite destination in England has been London. I love the city life, the artistic community, the food, the touristy stuff – London is great. My favourite thing to do is go to the West End and see these incredible productions for relatively cheap. Also, getting to see the Globe and watch a production in the Sam Wanamaker theatre (connected to the Globe) was a dream come true – especially because I wrote a paper on the play I saw (The Duchess of Malfi) that had actually just been approved for publishing when I was going to watch the play. London, while expensive, is vibrant and there’s so much to explore. There’s something there for everyone, and I’d highly suggest going if you every get a chance! 

     Outside of England, my favourite destination was Paris. I visited the Palace of Versailles, which has been a dream of mine since learning about Louis XIV (the “Sun King”) in eleventh grade history class. I went on a five-hour guided tour of the palace, which took us through Marie Antoinette’s bedroom, Louis XIV’s bedroom, important ballrooms, the Hall of Mirrors, an art gallery, etc. I loved learning about the history of the palace, the significance in decorative choices in socio-politics, the lifestyle of one of the most successful absolutist monarchs. I also got to go to the Louvre, which was my favourite place I’ve visited on this trip. Again, I was on a semi-private guided tour that lasted around five hours – and we only got to see 1/7th of the museum! If I could’ve stayed all day and done fifty more tours, I would have – the amount of history and culture packed into that institution was mind-boggling to me. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Louvre and want to go back sometime in my lifetime. Also, our guide was incredible – if you ever have the chance to go to the Louvre, try to get guided tickets through City Wonders and request the tour guide Erwan! He was genuinely so passionate and knowledgeable about everything in the museum, and what was supposed to be a two-hour tour he stretched out into five hours because he had the time and he wanted to show us a good variety of artifacts from different periods and cultures

In your opinion, what would you say are the benefits of studying abroad? 

For me, studying abroad has opened me up to a world of possibility I had never known or considered. After coming to England, I’m planning on applying to graduate school out-of-Canada as well as in Canada because there are so many notable institutions in England that provide great programs for the area of research, I plan to pursue in grad school (i.e., Oxford, Cambridge, etc.). Also, coming to England gave me a totally new perspective on what undergraduate schooling looks like – as I’ve mentioned, it’s very different than Canadian school and this is an experience I would never get at Trent, or really any Canadian institution. Also, I’ve made friends with people I’d never meet otherwise. While most of my roommates are Canadian (and, funnily enough, from Southern Ontario), one of my roommates is from Colombia! I’d consider her a really good friend, and I never would have met her if not for studying abroad. The same goes for my Canadian roommates too, as even though we’re all from the same region in Canada, we never would’ve meet because I’d never be at their universities. Also, if you go to a school somewhere in Europe, the ability to travel to a bunch of different countries for (relatively) cheap is an incredible experience. I love travelling, and a goal of mine is to see the entire world and learn about every country and place I can (perhaps it’s the historian in me). I feel I made a decent dent in that goal through this experience, and it’s truly amazing being to see all of these different places I never thought I’d see until I was well-established in my career with the money and time to do so.

Did you live in residence or off-campus, and how was that experience?

I lived in residence, at Tennis Court halls. My roommates were great! There were five of us sharing the space, and four of us were pretty good friends (the one roommate found friends in her classes and wasn’t around the dorm much). If I had any advice for residence, I’d suggest to not get a meal plan. I got my meal plan because I thought the academic stress and transition would make cooking very difficult for me, as I figured I’d be swamped with assignments and homework. That was not the case, and I miss cooking for myself – and, I don’t love the university’s food. It’s not terrible, I’d just rather make myself food.

What advice would you offer a student who is thinking about studying at your host institution and country?

Take advantage of the different spaces on campus – don’t be afraid to explore! The campus has a few free museums, as well as a lovely heritage garden students can visit for discounted prices. As well, don’t stress too hard about the academics – as long as you keep up with your weekly readings, keep notes on lectures, and attend classes, you’ll fair well. For the country, take advantage of being in a small country – get a railcard and go visit places! England has a ton of cool history, and every city offers something unique, so go visit what you can while you’re here.

What was one of your favourite memories from your time abroad?

I remember going to Stratford-Upon-Avon, travelling by myself, for the first time. I had never travelled that far alone, and it was a challenge to myself to see if I could handle public transit without help and stick to a tight schedule without getting lost. I was so proud of myself for making it to the town without any disruptions or any panic, and being there was magical. I love Shakespeare and Early Modern drama, so being in Stratford – the place where he was born – was a huge deal for me. I got to tour Shakespeare’s home and school, which was really informative and fun to peruse at my own pace. I also gave myself time to wander and explore, and I found this adorable cat-café that was Shakespeare-themes (all the cats were named after Shakespeare’s characters)! I also went to the RSC theatre and got to see my favourite Shakespeare production – A Midsummer Night’s Dream – which was so cool because I got to see the play I’d been writing about and discussing in classes at Trent in person, done professionally by a renowned acting company. That day was truly one of my favourites because I felt so academically enriched, and I really enjoyed just being surrounded by the history and literature I am so passionate about.

If someone told you they were thinking about studying abroad but weren’t convinced they should, what would you tell them?

I’d tell them it’s a great opportunity to experience something completely different than life at Trent – both academically and culturally! I’ve been considering graduate and post-graduate schooling for a while now, but I had really only been thinking about applying to Canadian schools. Coming to England has made me realize how many opportunities and programs, many better suited for my academic interests than what’s available in Canada, are available here. Studying in England has made me realize too that it would be advantageous to complete graduate schooling in the country where most of the literature/history I will focus on in my research is located geographically – there are so many wonderful and useful archives in England, that would make my research much easier and more enriching, which would be much easier to access if I went to an institution in England.