Unexpected Insect Lab
Author: Lanee Knight | Major: Biology | Semester: Fall 2022
Hello! My name is Lanee Knight. I studied abroad in England at the University of Sussex in Brighton during the Fall 2022. I was an exchange student with the University of Arkansas pursuing a biology major. I chose this program because of its excellent science labs, and research fields, and it being an English-speaking country. One cool aspect of my term at Sussex was my ability to choose classes that piqued my specific interest instead of following my specific degree plan back home. For example, in some of my labs, we analyzed different plants and how to plant them while in another class, we reflected upon ourselves and how to separate the body and mind. I even had a lab where there were all kinds of different insects and arthropods, and you could hold and analyze them while a professional taught us about all the species. They even included a poisonous centipede, a massive slug, and some of the largest grasshoppers I’ve ever seen. I am not the biggest insect fan, yet it was an experience I will never forget. Overall, the labs had more funding and were more engaging than the ones at home which made labs more beneficial for my learning. These lab experiences have put a new perspective on my courses at home since mostly I work with specimen that would be more related to the human species. As fun as it was to work in a different realm of Biology, it confirmed my ambitions to work in the medical field rather than research on insects and plants. I noticed that within the heavily biology-weighted courses with research content at Sussex, they would have multiple instructors that would teach the specific learning objectives that they do research on. In my Evolutionary Biology class, we had about five professors overall. I like this so you could get the information taught by someone who has professional experience, however, I found it harder to make a personal relationship.
At the end of my experience, I had the opportunity to visit 8 different countries in Europe. I will miss the public transportation along with the compact cities so walking everywhere was acceptable. I did not realize how aware England was of climate change and how everything focused on it. At Sussex specifically, about 40% of the students are international students. The University would plan events for us all to get together, so it was easy to meet friends. The irony of it was even though I was in England, all my friends were German and Dutch. It was so fun exploring the English culture with them while also being introduced heavily to another culture simultaneously. I did not realize I would meet some of my best friends, but it truly made the experience even better. We would do daily trips to London weekly or pop in for dinner, explore Brighton, and even do hiking trips to the seven sister cliffs. One of our favorite spots in Brighton was the lanes. The lanes consisted of cute coffee shops, vintage stores for good thrifting, record stores, delicious bakeries, and cheap Asian food spots. It was also great for the world cup since there were tons of pubs to drink and watch soccer, some traditional English culture.
Before I went, I wish I did not romanticize the experience. You forget that you will miss your friends and family, culture shock is real, and ranch does not exist. There are days you will not be on your travel high and realize that these countries you are traveling to are not all flowers and rainbows. However, I would recommend this program to any student because it was one of the best 6 months of my life. The first thing I did when I got home was drive my car while listening to music, went to my favorite sushi restaurant, and saw all the people I had missed over the semester.