Alumni Interview with Meredith Wright

What inspired you to travel abroad?

I have always wanted to study abroad, especially after my older sister studied and interned abroad in Brussels, Belgium. I am also a German major in addition to my journalism major, so I wanted to be in Europe to get a sense of what it would be like to live there. I loved every minute of it and could see myself living there for many years in the future. I also wanted to get the experience of interning abroad, because I think it gives you a much different experience than simply studying somewhere.

Why did you choose CAPA’s program in London?

I knew I wanted to go to London because I have always loved English culture. I also thought the journalism media landscape would be better than others, because a lot of the reporting there is really amazing. They also had a company there that I wanted to work for, and I ended up getting my internship there. It truly was the best company to work for. Also, CAPA has been partnered with my home college for a long time, so I knew a lot of people had done the internship program there before. I also heard a lot of them really enjoyed it so it was good to have positive feedback.

What was your favorite part about London?

London is absolutely STUNNING. I am obsessed with it. Every area is so different and exciting, and you truly never run out of things to do while you are there. I loved all of the restaurants, nightclubs, museums, shops, and all of the things that make London so unique. I also felt like every day was filled to the brim with new things to do. Also, the public transportation is amazing there, although expensive, so it is so easy to see a lot of the city. I enjoyed riding on the Tube every day and truly had very few issues with it.

What made your experience abroad extraordinary?

My experience abroad was amazing because my internship placement was everything I wanted it to be. The people at CAPA were so helpful and listened to where I wanted to be. I wrote for a music magazine while I was there and got to attend free concerts and meet some really incredible artists who I knew from America. I felt like I automatically fit in with the company, and all of the people there were so cool and exciting to be around. Their creative energy made my day-to-day work life so enjoyable. I also loved living in Camden. It was so young and energetic, and we always felt like we had new things to explore there.

How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?

Local staff was amazing in London. When we got to our apartment, staff met us there and helped us settle in with welcome packets and other information about Camden where we lived. Also, having a place to go to in Kensington where we took some classes was really nice because it was always there if we needed it. The location of their office is also in a very beautiful and centrally located place in London, so that made travel there much more enjoyable.

I also got sick with food poisoning while I was there, and the staff helped me find a doctor who was able to prescribe me antibiotics. I think it would have been much more difficult to find a doctor if I didn't have the CAPA staff there to assist me.

What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?

I probably would have explored EVEN MORE than I did. I was always out and about, but I think I would have made absolutely every day count just a little bit more. Now with the global pandemic, all I want to do is travel, so I have a lot of time to think about all of the things that I did while I was abroad. I wish I had gone to a few more museums, but every day felt so packed that it was sometimes tiring planning more things to do! I also wish I had just walked around Camden a little bit more because it was such a fun and interesting place to live. There were so many bars and restaurants that I never got to visit, but you just don't have time to do absolutely everything.

Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.

Three days a week I went to work in Shepherd's Bush, which was about an hour commute on the Tube. While that was a long time to travel to work, I actually really enjoyed my time on the train. Once I got to work, I would check in with my boss and learn of the things I needed to write that day. I also had to check in with a few agents for musicians to get back to me about artwork and responses to my questions. We all got lunch together at the local shop and then we would leave around 5:00 pm(ish).

Then I would get dinner on my way home on the Tube or make it at my apartment in Camden. We would sometimes go to the local pub after work, as a lot of people in England typically do that with coworkers or friends.

On the days I wasn't working, I had some time to sleep in a little bit and then would get ready for class. These days were pretty relaxed and it was nice having some time away from the office to explore London with friends. I would sometimes work on these days to make up time that I planned to take off if I wanted to travel on the weekends starting Friday.

What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?

Europe is filled with so many beautiful places. Whenever I had free time, I frequently traveled to other countries. I went to Scotland, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Germany. I also traveled to a few cities around England, including Manchester, Oxford, and Stratford-upon-Avon. I spent a lot of my free time just getting out and about in London and seeing all of the different little areas that make London so unique.

Also, the best part about London is that it is so international, so all of the food there is AMAZING. There are so many restaurants and bars and things to do at night that make each day super fun and special.

What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?

We lived in Camden, which is on the Northern line. It was definitely further away than some other areas to central London, but I wouldn't have wanted to live anywhere else. It was so fun, young, and hip. There were always interesting people around and plenty of bars and restaurants to keep us busy. Also, Camden Market is one of the coolest food markets to explore, so we loved living right near there.

We lived in an apartment building that was mostly full of students, so we got to meet a lot of other people who were on CAPA programs, which was amazing. We made a lot of friends, some of whom came to visit us at our college in America. I consider them friends for life. Our apartment was also really beautiful and we had two beds and bathrooms, so we always felt like we had plenty of space.

What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?

It is definitely important to come up with a good financial plan for how to manage costs while in London because the city is extremely expensive. I made a budget projection with my college study abroad office to make sure I could manage the cost of living there. The currency rate is what really kills you because the Pound was so much stronger than the Dollar while I was there. You automatically lose a lot of money just converting currency, but I felt like since I had a plan, I was pretty good at sticking to it. It also helps you manage unexpected costs that might come up during your stay there. Nothing ever goes as planned, but it is a good idea to plan funds as much as possible before trying to do extra travel and things like that. There are also so many free things you can do in the city that are perfect for filling weekends and days you don't work.

Would you recommend your program to others? Why?

Absolutely!!!! I have recommended this program to many of my younger friends because it truly was the best four months of my life. I learned so much about myself, and I became so much more independent and organized after I came home.

I think London has some really amazing companies that are so great to work for, and it is such an international city, so it is really easy to connect to other countries that you might want to visit in Europe. London really is amazing, and I would recommend for so many people to study there and intern there. I had a few friends come visit me and one in particular wished she had studied in London instead of Rome.

What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?

I think the biggest benefit is that you learn to work in a different environment, and it prepares you for entering the career world. I feel much more able to deal with unexpected issues or working for a busy company because I feel like my time in London prepared me for so many things. It also greatly helped my confidence because if I was able to work abroad, I know that I can work in America.

I have an internship this summer that is for a company like the one I worked for in London, and I know working in London has prepared me for the same work atmosphere. It also helped me decide what kind of work atmosphere I wanted. Since I had such a good experience in London, I knew I wanted to work for a similar company in America. The company I have an internship with also has an office in London that I visited, so that is also a really exciting element of working abroad. The connections you make are priceless.

Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?

Now that I am home, all I do is think about the time I was abroad. I truly miss it every day. I am trying to figure out ways to get back to Europe and work there because I loved calling it home. I am so lucky to have spent time abroad, and I got to do some really amazing things. I feel like I really took advantage of all that London has to offer, but I still would love to live there again at some point to experience it all again.

It also made me more comfortable for a future life in NYC, where I hope to live as well. Since I love big, bustling cities, I look forward to living a life like the one I lived in London!

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

Meaningful travel to me is when you go somewhere and experience different elements of what the culture has to offer. I especially love going to local restaurants because I feel like you get a better sense of the area if you eat like a local. I also just love food, so that is always one of my favorite parts of exploring new places.

I also think it is important to visit local museums because often they show artifacts that are really important to the locals. They also tell such a great history of the local area, so I try and see museums in every city that I visit.