Student Testimonials for University of Lancashire (ULan)
Emma Brumit 
Age (while abroad): 20
Degree(s): Psychology
What was your prior language knowledge (if applicable)?: Spoke a little Spanish
Where did you go?: Preston, UK
In what school did you study?: University of Lancashire
When did you go?: Jan 2026 - May 2026
Have you studied abroad before?: No
Why did you do study abroad?:
I wanted to experience leaning in a new culture as well as benefit my knowledge in my studies through the observations of other cultures all around the world and watching their individuals and their society function.
Would you do this again?:
Definitely!
What was your favorite part?:
My favorite part was getting to meet so many people on my travels or in my town. Meeting people from almost every corner of the world was so beautiful and eye-opening.
What was your least favorite part?:
My least favorite part was having to say goodbye to my new friendships that I made and the town that housed me for the best 5 months of my life.
How has study abroad affected your life now?:
In my life now, I am more eager to learn about other cultures, more open-minded about ideas in general, less stressed or consumed with plans for my life but rather comfortable relying on the fact that I am capable of doing whatever I want even if it feels unattainable.
What did you learn, outside of academics, from your study abroad experience?: 
I learned to ask for help. Culture in the west side of America especially is so focused
on doing it
individually and conquering the world alone, while the rest of the world is not afraid
of teamwork and communicating with strangers. Those communications that start with
directional help can turn into beautiful conversations that can alter the course of
one’s day.
What advice you would offer students interested in studying abroad?:
I would tell them if they want to at all they must do it. They will be thinking about
this experience and truly miss out if they don’t. When they decide to go, they must
go all out. Once you’re abroad, make the most of every opportunity, say yes to random
quests, travel to that place you’ve always
wanted to see, meet new people along the way. You’ll learn so much about your own
capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, and joys that make you who you are. It truly
is a wonderful opportunity to be all in for yourself for a matter of months that is
unique to a college student.
Tatiana Stevens
Age (while abroad): 22
Degree(s):Major in Chemistry, Minor in Criminal Justice
What was your prior language knowledge (if applicable)?:I know Spanish from my family growing up, while studying abroad this came in handy when taking Ubers sometimes. I was able to understand one of my Uber drivers and communicate with them a lot easier then normal because I understood Spanish and was able to speak it fairly well.
Where did you go?: While studying abroad I traveled throughout Preston, Birmingham, Manchester, then
travelled to Dublin Ireland, Hamburg Germany, Berlin Germany, Cologne Germany, and
Edinburgh Scotland. When visiting these locations for various occasions I loved them
all and did my best to get books more specific to the area I was in within topics
I enjoyed. Most of these books were crime/thriller based since that became a new genre
of books I started to love more and more. A book that I got when in Edinburgh Scotland
was called “His Bloody Project” by Graeme Macrae Burnet which highlights the case
involving Roderick Macrae towards his small village within Scotland
and discusses his upbringings that could have affected his mind when committing his
crimes. Another book I loved is called “Murder at the Black Cat Cafe” by Seishi Yokomizo
which discusses a three-faced murder based crime and is within a secluded village
in Japan. When reading Murder at the Black Cat Cafe, I was unable to predict who the
true killer was and I absolutely loved the style of writing Seishi Yokomizo provides.
Another book I read while studying abroad, even though I bought this book in the US,
it still discussed cases that I learned in the UK and in the US. The book is called
“Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime” by Val McDermid,
where Val discusses a multitude of evidence types within the forensic field and how
they were used in historical cases to bring justice to the criminal. Some of the cases
discussed in this book brought more light to some of the cases I learned while in
England during my forensic courses and a few of the cases discussed were from when
I was in High School learning about a small portion of Forensics for a section of
my biology course.
In what school did you study?: I studied at the University of Lancashire, which was previously known as the University
of Central Lancashire before the name change.
When did you go?: I travelled to England with my family to move in roughly mid September so I was able to move in properly but also acquire all of my student IDs and keys that I needed for my dorms and access to the campus. But my time studying was from September 29, 2025 to May 9, 2026.
Have you studied abroad before?: Before this experience I have not studied abroad before and when I was younger it wasn’t entirely an interest to me since I didn’t think I had the capacity to do so.
Why did you do study abroad?: I studied abroad to gain experience of the world around me, but I also wanted to broaden my understanding of other legal systems within different countries that the US law system has a chance to work with depending on the case. Another reason why I studied abroad is because I wanted to gain this life experience for myself and be able to prove to myself that I have the capacity to travel if I put my mind to it and bring action towards it.
Would you do this again?: I would absolutely do this again if I had the chance to! This experience has changed/improved who I am as a person and as a student, but all of the connections I made while studying abroad will forever stay with me through my life and the rest of my career.
What was your favorite part?: I think my favorite part was traveling to different countries and places with my friends and by myself. Even though I mostly travelled with friends, I still enjoyed the ease of purchasing train tickets and bus tickets in order to get somewhere in the UK.
What was your least favorite part?: I think my least favorite part was getting sick multiple times because of the temperature
changes being very frequent as well as the high winds adding to the sudden cold. But
otherwise it gave me more of an excuse to get rest and be able to have a cozy warm
night in my dorm room to read or do my other hobbies.
How has study abroad affected your life now?: Studying abroad affected my life now by having me become more and more independent but also gave me more confidence and courage towards myself and my academic career. But it allowed me to learn more about myself and what I enjoy doing when I’m not with friends or working on academics.
What did you learn, outside of academics, from your study abroad experience?: I learned that everyone is going to be different, everyone is going to learn differently. But everyone is also going to take joy in doing different things regardless of if you’re from the area or you’re from somewhere else. I also learned that you can make amazing friends that are within your courses regardless of age difference, but also because you share similar passions with the people you’re around or you have similar interests as them outside of academics.
What advice you would offer students interested in studying abroad?: A piece of advice that I would give students who are interested is to go for it. Don’t let someone in an authority based position dictate what you should and shouldn’t do when it comes to your academic career, because this opportunity doesn’t come around very often and most people who don’t take the chance often regret their decision later in life.
Kate Nienaber
Age (while abroad): 19
Degree(s): Surgical technology
What was your prior language knowledge (if applicable)?: English
Where did you go?: Preston, UK
In what school did you study?: UCLAN (name changed to University of Lancashire)
When did you go?: January 2023
Have you studied abroad before?: No
Why did you do study abroad?:
To gain exposure to new culture and ways of life.
Would you do this again?:
Definitely!
What was your favorite part?:
Meeting amazing people, and traveling around Europe.
What was your least favorite part?:
Being alone quite often in the beginning before I got comfortable and forced myself out of my room.
How has study abroad affected your life now?:
Totally changed my views on life, and gave me such amazing memories that I hold so dear to my heart now.
What did you learn, outside of academics, from your study abroad experience?:
Learning to be self dependant and its the first place i've lived without my parents there to help me so it was a huge learning experience being on my own.
What advice you would offer students interested in studying abroad?:
Dont just hunker down in your dorm room. Force yourself to go out and explore even if its just to get around town. You would be surprised where you will meet people.