GIL Students on the Culture of London
When I look back on my time in London, it seems to me an alternate reality, one in which my life was far more fabulous: I went to the theatre every night. I interned for Parliament. I bumped into Stephen Sondheim. I studied at the London School of Economics. I sang in a choir in Westminster Abbey. I walked the red carpet on opening night of the London Film Fest. I waved at the Queen riding by in a carriage. It all seems so impressive now, but back then it was just how it was.
That's what Grinnell-in-London is: an everyday experience that is magical, and a magical experience that is every day.
-Class of 1997
I recall fondly touring London’s city streets, peeling back the fascinating layers of the city’s rich history, and following my professors into castles, churches, court rooms, and dungeons.
-Class of 1997
Studying abroad with Grinnell-in-London was one of the highlights of my college experience. The chance to live and learn in one of the world's great cities—the chance, that is, to visit the British Museum, to go "behind the scenes" at Westminster Abbey, to attend plays at the National Theatre, to see parts of the city that tourists miss, to take classes with outstanding faculty, and much, much more—is an opportunity not to be missed. I have visited London many times since graduating from Grinnell, and though I still haven't tired of the city, my fondest memories are of the time I spent there as a student with GIL.
-Class of 1999
What is there to say that isn’t cliché? Memories from Grinnell-in-London: making friends with flatmates over late-night runs for fish and chips (with mushy peas, of course), wind-whipped climbing over grassy hills and ancient ruins in Ireland, explaining Thanksgiving to British businessmen on the Tube, Christmas decorations all up and down Oxford street, lunch breaks at the British Museum, seeing Patrick Stewart and David Tennant in Hamlet at Stratford-upon-Avon.
-Class of 2010
I look back on my time in London with immense fondness. For me it was a time of voracious cultural consumption. During those four months I visited my first jazz club, bought my first opera ticket, took some formative classes in contemporary dance, attended more plays than I can remember, and devoured hundreds and hundreds of pages of British literature. It was the first time I looked at one painting for over an hour. It was a Rembrandt in the National Gallery, and I will never forget what the time allowed me to see. It is where I truly came to love theatre and performance; where I developed a real stamina and point of view for looking at art; and where I learned how to make the most out of travel and time with friends.
-Class of 1998
As an English major, it was extremely culturally moving to visit the Wordsworth cottage, Jane Austen's house, and the moors that inspired the Bronte sisters. Oh, and you will grow to love the traditional English breakfast--baked beans and all! Grinnell-in-London is one of the most treasured times in my life.
-Class of 2001
I found London to be large enough to embrace almost any interest, any whimsy, or any subculture.
-Class of 2010
Through GIL, I lived in one of the world's most dynamic and diverse cities in the world. London is accessible but endlessly varied, containing more to discover than one possibly could see in a semester. It's a short, reasonably-priced trip from so many other alluring places, too.
-Class of 1998
Ten years later, I remember my semester in London as the cultural high point of my life so far. Living in the thick of a city with great theater every weekend under $20, cheap or free live music everywhere, the streets overflowing with art and artists, 10 raucous daily newspapers and a 2,000-years-long history of great big ideas was a deeply important part of my education.
-Class of 2003
Grinnell-in-London was the most highly concentrated cultural experience I have had. I was exposed to great literature, art, and architecture, wonderful and diverse neighborhoods and communities, and so many opportunities that every day had the possibility of being a new and special experience. The program and city was also a launching pad to visit other fascinating cities in the England, as well as on the European continent. I expect that there would have been no other way, before or after Grinnell-in-London, to see and participate in so much cultural education. My recommendation is to go, take in all that is offered as part of the program, and take advantage of the many opportunities to explore beyond that.
-Class of 1990
-Class of 2001
