FYE Londoners embrace their first semester on campus

Thirty-five first-year students who spent fall semester in Skidmore’s First-Year in London program are still adjusting to life on this side of the pond, since it’s just their third week on campus, but they’re rising to the challenge once more.

Says Brooklyn native Samara Jaffee ’19, a prospective economics major, “It’s a little overwhelming since everything and everyone is brand new. The good news is that people are really nice here and truly interested in our experiences and in meeting us.”

Jesse Epstein ’19, a possible psychology and/or neuroscience major from Port Washington, N.Y., feels challenged for another reason, “Skidmore has so many amazing things to offer that I am finding it difficult not to spread myself too thin.” Happily, Epstein has met plenty of people and made a number of friends, which he was nervous about not being able to do.

“It's definitely different coming back,” allows George School (Newtown, Penn.) graduate Anna Hilbert ’19, who is mulling a major in anthropology, English, or gender studies. “It is nice to be in a real college campus atmosphere, though. And the rooms are huge!”

How was the London program? “Honestly, just do it,” says Hilbert, echoing the sentiments of most of her FYE peers. “If you're on the brink, do it and I promise you won't regret it. Sure, you can go abroad at some other time during college but it won’t be the same. I met some of my best friends and had so many memorable experiences. If I had made a different choice I know I would have regretted it.”

A highlight for Hilpert was “Adventure Day” when she and a friend explored a new part of London each Thursday, often topped off with a meal at an Indian restaurant or kebab house. Like many other program participants, she also found time to travel—in her case, to Belgium, France (Bordeaux), Ireland (Dublin), Scotland (St. Andrews), and other parts of England (Oxford and Brighton).

For Hong Kong native Kyla Shen ’19, an unexpected highlight was her art and architecture elective, which took her to myriad museums. “In fact, the British museum was a block away from our classroom and the teacher was so passionate that I thought about majoring in art history,” says the probable business major. 

In addition to electives, the London students enrolled in one of two challenging Scribner Seminars: Making It Right, an investigation of forgiveness and reconciliation as ways of restoring peace after traumatic disruption, with Associate Professor of Philosophy Larry Jorgensen; or Mediating the Great War with Professor of French John Anzalone, an inquiry into the continuing impact of the Great War through study of how it was represented to its contemporaries. 

And speaking of travel, the entire group went on a field trip to the killing fields of the British War sector in Belgium, where the many ways in which the courses connected in areas like philosophy, history, ethics, and art found dramatic clarity. Other field trips and special class events reinforced the major themes of the classes.

While Shen valued the academic richness, she was also grateful for the opportunity for personal growth. Says Shen, “I was surprised by how independent I have become. This experience taught me what it takes to become an adult. It’s intimidating and challenging but I am proud that I pulled through.”

Epstein also found the experience affirming. He said, “Some of my favorite moments took place walking home from class. The first time someone asked me for directions and I answered confidently felt absolutely amazing. I felt like a true Londoner. I felt a sense of pride and security that I hadn't ever felt until that moment.”

Maria Isabel Nieves ’19, who calls Puerto Rico home, describes her time in London as “adventurous, fantastic, and fulfilling,” and tells students thinking about FYE London to “go headfirst.”

But she also says she’s happy to be on the Skidmore campus this spring because of the quality of the academics. “I really like being at Skidmore this semester. The courses that I'm taking—Comparative International Politics, Classical Mythology, Fantasy and Film, Interrogating Spectatorship, and Introduction to Psychological Science—are really challenging, and I’m eager to study and learn because I’m truly interested in the topics.”

Nieves’ attitude toward her coursework doesn’t surprise Anzalone, “In the Scribner Seminars, the students rose to the challenge of difficult subjects by demonstrating  precisely the characteristics and resourcefulness that drew them to the London program: initiative, ambition, their thirst for intellectual rigor, and sense of adventure. As their London mentors, Larry and I are gratified by and proud of their work.”