Brittney Mallon is a sophomore illustration major at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. She joined Semester Study Abroad in her first year on the Illustration and Visual Media Project course at London College of Communication (LCC).
How was studying abroad in London? What was your favourite thing about it?
I really enjoyed studying in London, I found it safe easy and fun to explore. I loved how there was so many places of inspiration that I could visit easily by train. I really enjoyed visiting all the museums and parks, London has so much green space, which is amazing since there aren’t many parks in Philadelphia. My favourite thing was definitely the public transportation, especially the tube. It made it so easy to travel around the city and to UAL, and felt much safer than public transportation here in Philadelphia.
What is your favourite memory of studying abroad?
My favourite memory would have to be the last Urban Sketchers event that I attended at Covent Garden in December right before I when back home to the US. While researching for my first project I came across a group called Urban Sketchers London, that did sketch crawls once a month where everyone meets up at a location in London to draw from location. I attended three of them while I was in London, and they were definitely one of my favourite experiences. There I met two other artists with whom I became good friends and were of great inspiration to me. Out of the three sessions I attended, the last one was my favourite because the drawing I created really showed my improvement from my time in London, and I was able to spend time with my friends before I went home.
What did you enjoy about your classes?
I really enjoyed the amount of independent study time that we had and how open the projects were. I enjoyed being able to make projects about things I was interested in, which made them more enjoyable and less stressful. In the US we have about 6 classes at a time that are focused on specific skills and projects that tend to be stressful and not fun, so I enjoyed the change of pace.
Why did you choose UAL Study Abroad?
I had originally applied to a foundation program at UAL and got in. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to accept my offer due to financial reasons. Studying abroad for a semester was something I could actually afford, and helped me achieve my dream of studying in London.
How did your study abroad experience help with your future endeavours?
Studying abroad helped me learn how to manage my time better, take time for myself, and motivated me to seek the things I wanted to learn. It also helped me discover my love of urban sketching.
Is there anything you want to share with future study abroad students/ future applicants?
I would encourage future applicants to make sure they are on top of their application. If there is something they don’t understand and/or need an answer to, ask those questions to the study abroad team. They are there to help.
Would you recommend the experience at UAL?
I would recommend the experience because I really enjoyed my program and thanks to the independent learning style of classes it gave me a lot of time to explore London while studying.
