Ashti Tiwari
CAS ’27
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
SA: University of Leuven – KU Leuven
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- Planning trips on your own for the first time
- Navigating new cities
- Choosing between a small city and a big city for study abroad
- Continuing research projects while abroad
- Traveling on a budget
One of the most unique parts of my abroad experience was learning how to balance independence, travel, and still feel grounded in a home base. I was originally deciding between KU Leuven and UCL in London, and one of the biggest reasons I chose Leuven was that it offered the best of both worlds. It was a smaller, quieter student city compared to a major capital like London, but transit in and out of Leuven was still incredibly easy and efficient. This made it a safe and comfortable place to return to after long weekends away while still allowing me to pursue all of my travel goals.
I also continued research projects from the fall semester with Perry World House while abroad. I initially thought it might be difficult to stay as involved as I had been during the fall, but it was very manageable with clear communication across time zones. It taught me how to budget my time around project responsibilities, classes, and travel, so I could make the most of my semester abroad while still keeping up with commitments from the previous semester.
My Experience Abroad
Academically, I took courses that fulfilled both major and general education requirements. My policy analysis course counted toward my PPE public policy process requirement, while my phonetics course fulfilled a sector requirement. The classes varied a lot in size and structure. My phonetics class had only about eight students, most of whom were master’s students in linguistics, while my policy analysis course was held in a large auditorium with hundreds of students.
As a PPE major with a concentration in Globalization, studying at KU Leuven also connected well with both my academic and professional interests. Leuven offers a wide range of courses related to public policy, European integration, language, and global politics, which made it a strong fit for my broader academic goals. Because Belgium is such an important hub for international and European affairs, my time abroad also helped me connect academics to the political environment around me.
Other Highlights
- Attending International Court of Justice hearings at The Hague, an experience that was later featured in KU Leuven’s student magazine. This was an incredible opportunity to observe international law in practice and connect my academic interests to a real-world legal dispute.
- My final presentation for the course Intercultural Interaction: Concepts, Approaches, Practices. Throughout the semester, we kept a diary of intercultural experiences and later presented patterns we observed over five weeks. This was a meaningful opportunity to reflect on what I considered intercultural interactions and how I dealt with cultural differences.
- Meeting up with my friends in Mallorca, Spain. One of the highlights of being abroad was having the chance to reconnect with friends studying in different parts of Europe.
- Taking a solo day trip to Paris to watch the opening qualifying rounds of Roland Garros. As a huge tennis fan, I didn’t realize how accessible this experience was. A bus from Brussels to Paris is only about a three-hour ride, and tickets were as cheap as €8. FlixBus quickly became my best friend for budget travel.
