Laura Galea [pictured above], currently studying a Bachelor of Arts at Victoria University, embarked on the trip of a lifetime earlier this year when she participated in our our Cambridge Literature Summer School program. Laura's AIM Overseas experience was so life-changing that she came back and transferred degrees as a result. Read on to find out more...
Why did you choose to study our Cambridge Literature Summer School program? I love the written word! Cambridge is a place where writers are kings, knowledge is currency, and inspiration is the air that we breathe in. Did I mention that I also love travelling?
Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
My main concern was preparing myself academically; this meant doing all the preliminary reading and getting my hands on all the books that were needed to write ‘that’ essay. Other than that, I had only feelings of excitement and wonderment! I had so many questions: ‘How big were the classes going to be?' 'What kind of food would I be eating?' (and the most important question of all) 'Will there be enough time to party?!’
Tell me about a typical day at Cambridge.
I would wake up at 7am. Get ready, go to the dining hall (yes, it is as fancy as it sounds!) and eat breakfast. Class started at 9am and finished at 3:30pm. These classes included reading and discussing the classics and the greats of both English and Greek literature. I studied the Trouble with Keats, Making Sense of Poetry, and Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad.
Dinner was then served at 6:30pm. Cambridge are wonderful at doing all they can to distract you. There were poetry readings, Shakespeare plays, even the Alberni string quartet!
It was summertime. And you’re studying with people from all over the world – so I’m not going to lie to you and say there were no outings to the pub. Plus, we were in England!
Like a dream...
What was the highlight of the program for you?
The whole experience feels like a dream now, and sometimes I go back and read the emails that I sent out to family and friends and still get flutterbies. One of the many, many, many highlights was studying literature at a place where writing lives and has lived for hundreds and hundreds of years! Many of the writers that are taught at Cambridge (at some point or another) went to school and studied there, or taught there themselves. There is great pleasure in that. And knowing I was a part of that, even for just a little while, still makes me smile.
It's mind-boggling to think of how many of the world's literary greats have walked through these gates...
Do you have any funny travel stories you’d like to share?
Plenty! Most of them involve the Boston kids, copious amounts of bottles of Pimms, and going for (correction: trying to) punt.
There was a funny incident that actually happened before I arrived at Cambridge. I decided to plan a few days in London beforehand, to shop, shop, shop (what else?!) But as I got off the plane, I realised my phone had not been properly unlocked, and the new overseas sim that I had bought could not be activated, and therefore made me unreachable. This is a serious problem when you have your parents eagerly waiting by the phone to hear that you have arrived safely at your destination. Once I reached my hotel, the man behind the desk told me that there was a problem and that I had been moved to another hotel. It started pouring down rain, (of course!) and I had to walk to the next hotel which was twenty minutes away. By the time I reached the hotel, I looked like a drowned rat and the lady behind the desk asked, “Are you Laura Galea?”
“Yes.” I replied.
“Your mother called!”
Do you have some tips for someone who's going on this course?
1. Organise your sim card BEFORE you leave the country!
2. There are so many beautiful restaurants, cafes, and bars in Cambridge. Try not to limit yourself to eating in the dining hall. It’s such a gorgeous city!
3. Buy a bottle of Pimms, call your friends and go punting.
The real reason why our students love studying in the UK so much... PIMMS!
How has this program impacted you (either personally and/or professionally)? Before I left for Cambridge, I was in my second year studying a Bachelor of Education at Victoria University. Since coming back, I have transferred into a Bachelor of Arts – majoring in Literary Studies. I have changed my course around so that I can focus wholly on Literature, and hopefully do an Honours year after that. Teaching is very much still an option, but I’d like to explore this one first.
What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
Don’t worry about money. Your university is there to help you. There are numerous scholarships you can look into, OS-HELP loans, etc.
Don’t worry about the workload. It is crazy and intense! But how often can you say you have travelled to the other side of the world to study at one of the most prestigious universities in the world?!
Don’t worry about being nervous. This is going to be one of the most AMAZING experiences of your life!!!!
Are you on the plane yet?
Cambridge awaits!
Laura even sent us in the office some little pressies before she left - thanks Laura! (Current/future AIM Overseas students take note: we really really really love candy!)
This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au
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