Kristine Johnson -- Stirling Study Abroad

Kristine Johnson is a member of the class of 2027 double majoring in Communications and English Literary Studies. The Voices team recently interviewed Kristine on their recent study abroad experience in Stirling, Scotland. Please enjoy the following Q&A:

Q: Where did you choose to study abroad and why?

A: I chose to study abroad at the University of Stirling in Stirling, Scotland. I honestly had no clue of where I wanted to go, I just had a list of a few countries that I thought were cool. I started to specifically look at schools I would like in those countries and Stirling really called out to me, since it had really good class choices for both my English and Communications majors.

Q: When did you go on the trip?

A: I went to Scotland for my spring semester of junior year, so that would have been January to May 2026.

Q: Which department did you go through to complete the program?

A: I am both a Communications and English Literary Studies major, so I had to get approval from both of those departments to go abroad. 

Q: How did the English department help or encourage you to study abroad?

A: The English department was so helpful to me! I actually got special permission to study abroad, because normally English Lit juniors in their spring semester have to take the first thesis course. One of our English Lit professors, Dr. Jacobs, actually had a co-worker that taught the class I was substituting my first thesis class for. Other than that, all the professors and fellow classmates had great tips and words of wisdom on studying abroad.

Q: What was your academic schedule like? What were some classes that you took?

A: Academics were set up very differently there than they are at RWU. Instead of regularly taking five classes a semester like I do here, I took three classes. Those classes would be split up into seminar sessions and lecture sections each week, so for each class I would actually be going in person only two hours per week! Some of the classes I took were Digital Media and Culture, Scotland and Empire: Looking at History Through Literature, and my Medieval Literature Studies class.

Q: How do English classes abroad compare to the classes at RWU?

A: Classes in general were more lax about attendance. You got graded on two things only: your midterm paper and your final paper, which was pretty scary to me! I will also say that Scotland is a lot smaller than the United States, so it was much easier to see all of the architecture that our readings would talk about, and also important places to the authors we were reading. For example, I was reading a Walter Scott book as I went to his house!

Q: When you had the opportunity to explore, where did you make sure to go?

A: The train in Scotland was so convenient. Stirling is in the middle of Glasgow and Edinburgh, so it was really easy to pop into both of those cities and explore two major places in Scotland. I tried to hit up as many castles as possible around the country! Also, as I am preparing to become a librarian as well, I made a point to go into as many libraries that would let me.

Q: Did you have an opportunity to travel outside of Scotland?

A: Yes, and I was so lucky to do some. Along with just visiting the pretty general touristy place, I also made a point to visit some literary attractions. I saw Shakespeare's Globe in England, Hamlet's Castle in Denmark, and Oscar Wilde's House and haunts in Ireland! 

Q: What was your favorite part of the trip?

A: The locals in every place were definitely my favorite part of the trip. Random people in Scotland would just start chatting with us and give us tips on places to go explore, and I remember a gentleman named Peter in Ireland who was the owner of this bookstore (which used to be a pharmacy that Oscar Wilde's family went to), and he told me so many cool things about the area and even played me a Gaelic song that you're supposed to make a wish on!

Q: Is there anything else you're excited to share about your trip?

A: I'm excited to tell everyone that I have acquired quite a rubber duck collection. Those were my souvenirs of choice wherever I went, and I came home with about 25 of them!

Kudos to Kristine for their Stirling study abroad! We hope Kristine inspires you to take adventures!