OXFORD, Miss. – Molly Sanders of Daleville, a rising junior at the University of Mississippi, is ending a unique college experience this month. She has spent the spring semester studying and traveling in England.
A communication sciences and disorders major in UM’s School of Applied Sciences, Sanders was enrolled at Liverpool Hope University on her first study abroad.
“This opportunity has given me a chance to explore a part of the world myself,” she said. “The culture and way of life are different, and I hope to take away a little part of that. I also hope it will give me a better sense of gratefulness for what I have in my life.”
Sanders is scheduled to return home the end of May, having earned 12 credit hours toward her UM degree, made possible through an exchange partnership sponsored by the UM Study Abroad Office. Her courses included international tourism management, political psychology, memory and mentoring young people.
Adjusting to the way classes are taught at Liverpool was an interesting experience, Sanders said.
“Classes are smaller and there is no homework, and in each of our courses, we were graded on one 3,500-word paper,” she said.
In the international program at Liverpool, Sanders studied with students from Norway, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Romania and Germany.
“The people I have met have been amazing, and I hope to stay in touch,” she said. “Everyone speaks English, some better than others, so it’s not difficult to interact.”
A highlight of her sojourn was traveling around Europe, including an intense school field trip that began in Malta and toured Rome, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Munich and Barcelona.
“It was very well planned and very quick in each city, but I had the time of my life,” she said.
She also did a lot of backpacking and especially enjoyed weekend trips to Paris, Amsterdam, London, Oxford, Birmingham, Chester, Dublin, Manchester, Bath, Cork and Edinburgh.
“There was not one thing that was absolutely unbearable,” she said. “I definitely walked a lot more than I expected, but that was a good thing.”
One interesting nuance of her stay was learning about the subtle differences in the way Americans and Britons speak.
“When I got here, I didn’t really know the British words for things,” she said. “A guy at orientation mentioned a biscuit the very first day, and I got all excited and said something about Chik-fil-A. They all laughed. A biscuit is a cracker here!”
Sanders is slated to complete her bachelor’s degree at Ole Miss in May 2011. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school.
A recipient of a Luckyday Opportunity Scholarship, Sanders also was awarded the Chancellor’s Leadership Scholarship as a freshman. She is a member of Gamma Beta Phi, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association.
A graduate of Kemper Academy, she is the daughter of Chuck and Donna Sanders.
For more information on Study Abroad programs at UM, go to
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/study_abroad/.