London: calling students abroad

By Alexandra Graff

LONDON-- It’s July in London and the students descend.

The metropolis of London, England, is not only a popular tourist destination, but also a top stop for international education programs.

London swells with students during the summer, said tour guide Nadia Jennings.

As a major study abroad destination, approximately 24 percent of all students in London are international students studying abroad, according to londoncouncils.gov.uk.

“Summer is particularly full,” Jennings said. “You have a lot of students coming over to study.”

Jennings, 25, a student tour guide for API, a study abroad program provider, said she suspects more students study abroad during a summer term because of fewer sports commitments and shorter, more financially viable programs.

Also, she said she has noticed more female students than male students tend to go on study abroad programs.

However, many students who choose summer programs find that London is especially full.

Last year, London attracted nearly 4.9 million visitors during the summer months of July through September, which was a 20 percent increase from the previous year, according to London Evening Standard.

The 2011 Census pegged the population of London at 8.17 million, and the projected population for 2021 is forecasted to exceed 9 million, according to londoncouncils.gov.

London's view from above. 

With more than 8 million people living in the city and almost 4.9 million visitors, places are bound to be crowded and busy, especially during hectic summer months.

Katy Taylor, 20, a student from the University of San Diego, said she is taking a communication class at Queen Mary University in London for three weeks as part of a study abroad program.

“I’ve always loved London, so I was excited to see there was a program,” Taylor said.

Professors from the University of San Diego teach using classrooms at Queen Mary University while the students stay in the dorms, Taylor said.

But with an influx of people in London during the summer, the city’s overcrowded nature can seem daunting.

“I don’t mind the people as much except for when I use public transportation,” Taylor said. “That’s the only place where I’m annoyed that it’s crowded.”

“There’s so many people, but you don’t really notice because London is so diverse, anyone could live here,” said Mackenzie Kroon, a student studying with Taylor.

Kroon and Taylor both said they see the most crowds at tourist locations such as the Harry Potter Studio Tour, Big Ben, and Kensington.

“In general, the feeling in London is that it’s over populated,” said Jennings, who despite being a tour guide is also a local.

The large number of historical, cultural and political attractions London has to offer is one draw for tourists.

Popular tourist destination, Stonehenge, which is about a two-hour drive from London, attracts 1.2 million visitors a year, said David Jones, an employee at the English Heritage site.

The circular stone structure at Stonehenge greets visitors. 

The site is especially busy during the summer when about 7,000 and as many as 9,000 people visit per day, Jones said.

With up to 9,000 people a day, some might find it difficult to soak in the history of the site.

However, some visitors attempted to break away from the common take-a-picture stereotype and experience Stonehenge differently. Through broken English a daughter in a group of tourists, MarieAnne, meditated in front of the ring of stones. She explained that meditating helps her get more out of the experience of visiting an ancient site.

“It’s a bit obvious that it’s big and was used for something important,” she said. Meditating helps her observe the stones in a different way, she added.

The student-tourist experience can also differ from just being a tourist, Taylor said.

“We’ve done a lot of tours as students,” Taylor said. “I don’t think I would have done as many. But I’ve gotten to do things as a student that I couldn’t as a tourist.”

Students can tour the Guardian newspaper offices in London. 

Taylor said her communications program included visits to The Guardian newspaper and BBC offices, places people don’t often visit when just on vacation.

Working for API, Jennings contributes to the process of setting up student itineraries for various programs.

“Surprisingly, the theatre is not popular, except for the Globe,” she said. ”When we do Harry Potter, it’s a hit. Almost everyone comes, its full.”

But no matter what the case, many reports point in the same direction: London tourism is on the rise.

VisitBritain projected the worth of the UK tourism economy in 2013 to be approximately £127 billion, which supports more than 3 million jobs. And in 2025, the tourism industry is predicted to reach £257 billion and support 3.8 million jobs, according to a report by visitbritain.org.

Apparently, it’s like The Clash said: London’s calling.

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