Summer Stateside

For me, the 2015 Sutton Trust summer school trip to the States, to say the least, was surreal. When I think back to this time last year and the hours I spent hauling over essays, survey monkeys and feeling like the next YouTube vlogger sensation over my application video (which, can I just point out, you will cringe over), it really is unbelievable to think that the trip has come and passed.

Despite it being my first trip to the US, I left with that same promise in my head I get when I leave my bed at 6 am to catch the train to school – ‘I will be back’. But let’s not linger on leaving day, but rather get excited about the trip as a whole.

To start with, the Sutton Trust staff are agenda whizzes. Each moment of our day was structured to the ‘T’, right from the time we would shower in the morning, to the time the coach left for the Rockefeller Centre and even to when we had an exclusive admissions information session with head officers at Princeton University. For this I am so grateful! It is the worst when you feel like you’ve taken part in a trip only to be sat in teams on the grass for most of the day, not really knowing what you’re doing, or when the right time to use the toilet was, but this was definitely not the case. Each moment was made valuable and I really feel I got as much out of each day as I could have.

One main thing I noticed about each university campus we visited was that despite whether it was an Ivy League or liberal arts; co-ed or an all-women’s institute, every single college student tour guide was truly excited about the place they called ‘home’ and were so eager for us to peruse our further education in the US, perhaps even to become a part of the ‘family’ of their institute.

American universities, from what I learnt anyway, are interested in YOU. They want to know how you feel, what you’re interested in and what makes you tick. There is a more personal interest in students that was highlighted through aspects such as student-faculty casual dinners that really emphasised that life at an American university is more than just getting through four-or-so years of life in a mechanical manner, but rather creating a life for yourself in which you will be supported and guided through by such involved faculty.

Giving back to the community and extra-curricular are things that American universities thrive off, so campus really will become your livelihood. This is made easier by most univerities having ‘first year only’ residency halls and shared canteens, and some for example with a ‘quad’, which is like a courtyard in which each of the first year accommodation opens onto the same greenery, so you are ‘forced’ to cross paths with new people each day.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly a uniform definition of university life in America, because each institute really offers something so wildly different from the next (and with over 400 in the continent alone, you’d find it hard to not find one you loved), but it’s the little touches, traditions and historical stories that emphasises school spirit that really helps distinguish an American university from any other. And before you ask – yes, sororities are a ‘thing’ and you may have a new sister if you wish (although, guys, maybe not so much!).

With all that being said, I am choosing university in America, and with no intention of sounding narcissistic, because I want to feel like I belong somewhere that is as interested in me and helping me succeed to the full of my potential as much as I am interested in them and what they have to offer.

The Sutton Trust really has opened the doors to a life I hadn’t even considered a possibility, but now experience as so real!