Thea Youngs, ‘07
Penacook, NH

Thea Youngs is a Geography major and Anthropology minor who spent a year abroad at the University of Royal Holloway, near London, England.

While abroad, I had to adjust to everything taking much longer than it would at Mount Holyoke, and life moving at a slower pace, teaching me an invaluable lesson in patience.  Coming back to MHC after a year, I find myself trying to be more balanced in my life than I was before I left, and this is thanks, no doubt, to the life I led in England.

When:  My junior year (2005-2006).

Why did you choose to study abroad: I wanted to go abroad to experience life in another country not just as a tourist but as a resident.  I also wanted to be able to take courses that were not available at MHC, since geography is a very small major here, but very large in Britain.  

What language did you speak: English, but one of my friends was an Exchange student from France, so I practiced French with her, and used it sometimes when I was traveling around Europe as well.

What did you study: I took a lot of geography classes, which were fairly intense. Since my classes didn't really have textbooks, or things like course packs, I spent an enormous amount of time between the library and Geography reading room, making photocopies, searching for books, and taking notes!

What next:  We’ll just have to see!