At last, the ending snuck up on me. One day I’m stepping off a plane at Heathrow, excited and jet-lagged, and the next I’m packing up my dorm room, wondering how it went so fast. As my semester at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) comes to an end, I find myself equally nostalgic, grateful, and reluctant to leave.
If you asked me to name my favorite day of the semester, it might be the first truly hot day London decided to grace us with. After months of grey skies and sporadic drizzle, the whole city came alive at once, and we spent it in Greenwich, visiting the Prime Meridian, wandering past the Bridgerton house, and soaking in every rare ray of sunshine. Or maybe the best day was our Primrose Hill picnic with chocolate strawberries, a deck of cards, and a beautiful sunset on a random weekday. Or our regular nights at Blues Kitchen in Shoreditch, a jazz bar with live music, themed nights, and a warm ambience. These and a handful of other local spots made this foreign city finally feel like home.
What I’ll miss most, though, is the group of people I shared all of it with. The friends you make abroad are a specific kind of close, forged quickly, bonded by newness, and somehow deeply real.
The last stretch of the semester brought some of the best travels. Mallorca was a highlight not just for the destination, but for the company of my GW roommates, who had been studying abroad in completely different corners of Europe all semester. We spent days swapping stories of parallel adventures, comparing notes on cities and cultures we’d each experienced separately.
Scotland and Italy came with their own lessons, specifically how much travel planning actually matters and what you’re capable of when things go sideways. European transportation had other plans for us more than once in Lake Como, but the views made every moment of chaos worth it. I can confirm that I work well under pressure.
If you’re considering studying abroad, here is the honest advice I wish someone had told me ahead of time:
- Say yes to the slow days! Some of my best memories have nothing to do with landmarks. They are teaching friends card games at the pub, cooking big meals in my dorm kitchen, and watching movies at our local cinema on Wednesdays. Not every weekend needs to be a flight. You should permit yourself to just soak up the place you are in.
- Find your spots and go back. It is so fun becoming a regular at a new coffee shop, study spot, or a cinema. That’s how a foreign city stops feeling foreign. Routine is not a bad thing; it holds its own adventure.
- Remember how short it is, especially when you miss home. Homesickness is real and valid, but I found that the solution wasn’t distraction but presence. When I missed home or DC, I’d remind myself how little time was left and chose to be exactly where I was, enjoying myself to the fullest.
- Let it surprise you! The things I’ll remember the most, from the Desi community of East London to the friendships and the lighter pace of the semester, weren’t expected. The best parts are spontaneous from going into this experience without any expectations.
- Ask questions and embrace the uncomfortable early. The friction of the first few weeks, figuring out the tube, the academics, and how to cook on a budget, is exactly what builds confidence for the rest of the semester, so you should lean into it in the beginning to make the rest of the time smoother.
This experience exceeded expectations I didn’t know I had. As much as this semester has given me, I am ready to go back to the routine and DC. And that is okay, because that doesn’t mean I didn’t make the most of where I was. If anything, feeling ready to leave means the experience was full enough. I came, explored, and found a second home in London, and now I get to bring it all back with me.
To anyone at GW considering studying abroad, go! Pack light, keep your mind open, and don’t skip out on the picnics!
Niyati Shah
Spring 2026
GW Exchange - Queen Mary, University of London
School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
Computer Science Major