Some seniors would call going out-of-state for college an adventure in itself, but others have become set on the idea of leaving the country entirely. Each year, a few seniors decide to attend a university abroad rather than stay in the States. This decision will give these students a completely unique, but incredibly valuable, college experience.

Senior Kate Oest-Larsen is one of the few Prep seniors who has decided to attend college in Europe. Though she has not determined which school yet, she should hear back from her first-choice school, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, in May. If she does not end up at Edinburgh, she says she will likely attend either York Saint John University in York, England, or the University of Dundee in Scotland.

“I’m really excited to meet all new people and really experience a different culture,” Oest-Larsen said. “I feel like if I went to school in the States, it would be the same thing as Prep with football and everything, but I’m really excited to just experience a different schooling system because not many people have the chance to do that.”

John Calvert ‘22 plans to attend the University of Southampton in England in the fall and, like Oest-Larsen, looks forward to the unique experience.

“One of the main things that made me want to attend all four years abroad was a desire to immerse myself more, and definitely a desire to just get away from the US for a while,” Calvert said. “I am most excited to just be on my own and experience a similar yet different culture in the UK and in general just to try this new thing.”

Calvert and Oest-Larsen both noted that the applications to apply to foreign universities were much more straight-forward and user-friendly than the American college applications. Most, if not all, colleges in the UK require students to declare their major upon applying. Calvert will study oceanography and Oest-Larsen decided on product and packaging design.

However, this big change does not come without nerves. Oest-Larsen said that she was nervous for “the culture shock” as well as “just not knowing what things are. Like, if I get an appendicitis, how am I supposed to go to the hospital?”

The next four years will be full of adventure for Calvert and Oest-Larsen, as well as the other Prep seniors that end up going to college abroad. While not everyone feels called to make this drastic change, it can be an incredibly unique and valuable experience for some aspiring students.