Wharton '20 Sam Roth

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SA: London School of Economics and Political Science

Programs Abroad:

  • Semester Abroad (SA): London School of Economics and Political Science

Ask me about...

  • Playing sports abroad - I played for LSE's First team in basketball, which was a great experience

  • Immersing yourself in religious life abroad - I joined London's Jewish Student Organization, JSoc, and made great friends there, as well as met students from various London universities at Shabbat dinners each week.

  • Living in an off-campus apartment in Central London (I was not provided housing by my program)

My Experience Abroad:

My time at LSE certainly highlighted both the academic and cultural differences between student life in the US and the UK. LSE is very similar to Penn in that students are very driven, focused, and dedicated to creating both a better world and successful personal future, but the ways in which students live abroad was very different. Overall, the BSc Management exchange program furthered my understanding of business and competitive strategy and has served as a great complement to my coursework in Wharton.

Other Highlights:

  • Playing basketball for LSE - I met an amazing group of people, and they became some of my closest friends during my semester. We traveled across London for intercollegiate games and spent plenty of time together outside of a basketball setting as well.

  • Traveling across Europe - This was my first time in Europe, and I was able to travel to 13 different countries both alone and with my friends.

  • Becoming a lot more comfortable doing things by myself - I traveled to cities alone, took buses to new neighborhoods across London alone, and developed a new appreciation for deviating from the group and experiencing things by yourself

  • Attending Prime Minister's Questions - PMQ's are held in the House of Commons once per week, in which the Prime Minister fields questions from various Members of Parliament. I watched Theresa May go head-to-head with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn and even met Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon before she entered the chamber.

On the Penn Abroad Blog:

UKExit and a Divided Government

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