The SNHU Study Abroad Office gives all its students the opportunity to get a feel for a new culture in various countries around the world. One of these countries in particular is England.
Isaiah Banker-Reynolds, a business information technology major, is currently spending the first half of his second year at SNHU in Colchester, England, at the University of Essex. While being abroad in the United Kingdom (U.K.), he has noticed many differences between British and American cultures.
One difference between the two cultures that Banker-Reynolds first touched upon is that “shops close very early [here] compared to America, typically around 5 p.m. so people can go home to their families.”
He also elaborated that his professors even encourage him and his classmates to go out and explore the night life in England “in order to get the full effect of the culture.”
Another fact that Banker-Reynolds was surprised to learn about while living in England this past month is how much less expensive tuition for schooling is overseas, at his school in particular. He explained that the annual tuition at the University of Essex, along with food and housing, is around 15 thousand dollars, while here it is often double or triple that amount.
However, there are some similarities between the two countries, aside from the spoken language. “They are both very international cultures, meaning there is not one specific nationality that occupies the major cities of the countries,” Banker-Reynolds said when asked to discuss the similarities between the U.S. culture and the U.K. culture. “You will often walk down the street and see people of African, Asian and Middle Eastern descent rather than your stereotypical Brit.”
When describing the similarities and differences between the two cultures, he summed them up as having “their own distinct identit[ies]” and being “two completely different worlds.”
