The luxury of living in a castle usually only happens in a fairytale, but for eight Baker students, a castle is where they will eat, sleep and learn for the whole semester.
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Students have been traveling to Grantham, England, to study abroad at Harlaxton College since the 1980s to experience a different culture and have the opportunity to meet new people and travel around the world.
Matt Fry, a junior studying at Harlaxton, is one of the students getting the chance to immerse himself in British culture this semester.
“I’ve learned so much of history and culture of England and Britain, but I’ve also had the chance to travel all over the world,” Fry said via a Skype interview. “There’s still quite a bit of the semester left, but I feel like I’ve done so much already.”
Finding the right time to study abroad can be difficult for some students, and the semester away can often lead to their graduation date being extended.
However, Fry said by taking 15 credit hours of general education courses that will transfer back to Baker, he still plans to graduate within four years.
“Most people take 12 while they’re here,” he said. “I took 15 and they’re all counting towards (general education courses) that work back at Baker, so that’s really nice that I was able to make that work.”
All students at Harlaxton must take a British Studies course, which contains “more depth” than a general history course one might take at Baker. Compared to Baker, the style of teaching for this course is different.
“It’s over 150 people in the class and it’s strictly lecture; there’s no responding from the students,” Fry said. “The British Studies faculty definitely have a different style.”
What attracts many students to Harlaxton is the opportunity to travel around the area on the weekends. Fry said that so far, he has traveled to Italy, Cambridge, and has plans to visit Oxford, the Lake District, Amsterdam, France and Ireland.
Sophomore Jackie Albin will be attending Harlaxton for the spring semester and is looking forward to this travel opportunity to connect with a friend.
“I’m really looking forward to visiting a friend of mine in Norway … to visiting Italy, France and touring around England; possibly even Germany,” Albin said.
The opportunity to go to Harlaxton is not only one students take advantage of, but faculty members as well.
Kathy Allen, assistant professor of sports administration, will be attending Harlaxton with a group of students in the spring. After applying to go several times and trying to work around her coaching schedule, Allen finally found a time to get away.
“I’m looking forward to the total package,” Allen said. “I’m looking forward to living in the castle and I’m looking forward to all the travel, I’m looking forward to the teaching experience, and just being able to immerse myself in a completely different culture and way of life.”
While many students think of the opportunities traveling abroad can provide them with while they are overseas, the benefits that await them when they return to Baker and after graduation can be just as rewarding.
“It’s very much about your personal growth and the maturity level of people that have gone abroad,” Susan Wade, director of career services, said. “Your ability to work with people of different cultures and diversity that’s different than home is developed, and that is highly prized by employers. Employers are interested in what you know about yourself and what your strengths are and your abilities and when people go abroad, they test that in themselves.”
