Hi! My name is Louise Knight and I am an upcoming senior at UA. Similar to many people my age, I tried to go abroad the past two summers, with both possibilities being cancelled. So, as I was approaching my last summer as a student here, I knew this was my last chance to study abroad. Also, I am an International Business minor, and studying or interning abroad is a requirement for the minor. I was having a hard time at first finding a program that fit my needs. I was finding that many programs only offered lower level classes that I had already completed. Last summer I was supposed to take an economics course in Europe and I was so excited. Economics is my major and I love learning about it so much. Therefore, I wanted to find a program where I could take a econ class, while also tying in international business. A mutual friend of mine had told me about LSE last year, and I had honestly forgotten about it as an option. So when I saw it on a list of great economics programs in Europe, it peaked my interest. I went on their website and discovered that they had a summer school program that I could direct enroll in. A session lasted about three weeks and I would get credit for 1 course. This was exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t want to be abroad all summer because I wanted to have the opportunity to have more work experience as well, so this amount of time was ideal. I then met with an advisor and picked out a class that both interested me and would transfer back easily to UA. I decided that I wanted to direct enroll in their summer school instead of going through the program because I wanted to have the flexibility and challenge of exploring on my own. My advisor did warn me that LSE is not an easy program, but I am excited for the challenge. I registered to take Development Economics, a course about poverty, developing nations and their economies, and solutions. LSE has been great about helping student connect while in London and before. I was able to join a Facebook group where I have found others in my same class and residence hall. There are people in my same class from Italy, Sri Lanka, India, China, Singapore, United States, Egypt, Australia and more countries. I am most excited about being able to learn from so many different perspectives and experiences. LSE also sent out a calendar with free events for students throughout our program. There are city tours, day trips around the UK, sunset river cruises, welcome parties, and more all offered to the students. After signing up without knowing anyone else going, this is very exciting and I already feel welcome. I leave in about a week now and am going a few days early to explore the UK with my mom before classes start. Wish me luck!