I can write letters, too

I’m a bit upset with the program here. I wrote a letter explaining why:

To Whom It May Concern:

I have for some time had a lot of interest in England; in the customs, the country, and most importantly the people. My university in the United States, Occidental College, requires that students who wish to study in other countries apply first to the study abroad office on campus, which then selects the students who are eligible to apply for university-approved programs. I mention this because as part of that application process I wrote in an essay how I was looking “forward to extending and creating friendships across other continents,” and was expecting to establish important relationships with new people.

Although this opportunity to meet people from England is the single most important reason I chose to study abroad here in Brighton, it is also the opportunity I have found most thoroughly lacking. For better or worse, students on campus form their social groups based largely on whom they live near. I have therefore been disappointed to find myself continually housed with other Americans. During the Sussex in September program, I lived with just over seventy Americans in Park Village houses. Now, for the autumn term, I live in York house, where very few English people live (and those who do are rarely here). In fact, since I’ve arrived in England, I have not met and become good friends with anyone from England.

While I certainly cannot blame my personal social habits on the school, I feel as though I have been discouraged from socializing with English students since arriving here at Sussex. I feel isolated in a building full of Americans, almost as if we were not welcome to mix with the regular first year students. I hope this has not been intentional, as I am not alone in this feeling. I would like to encourage the University of Sussex to consider that students from America have traveled a long way from home to experience life in another country, and to at least try to accommodate that interest. No one can guarantee friendships abroad, but one could definitely make it much easier to do so.

Sincerely,

Jason Preston
Occidental College