Contessa Gonzalez
Being a student from California in the United States of America, my experience of studying in Glasgow has been delightful. Despite only having lived in Glasgow for 6 months, I feel confident in my love for the city. There are several reasons why I've grown to love Glasgow and the University of Glasgow, a few of them being: the people, the teaching approach, and the architecture.
One thing I love about Glasgow is the people. The people of Glasgow, in my experience, are friendlier toward people of my background than Americans are. When I tell a Glaswegian that I am of mixed Mexican and Ukrainian descent, I am met with excitement and overall kindness toward my culture, with many asking if I could cook them authentic meals and teach them my languages. In America, on the other hand, telling someone I am Mexican and Ukrainian is often met with unease, as I am sometimes viewed as a manifestation of “stolen” jobs and government spending, some going so far as to immediately label me as a criminal. Glaswegians are unafraid to welcome me as a foreigner in their country, and to that I am eternally grateful.
I greatly enjoy the teaching style of the University. As someone who is greatly interested in a career in civil service and pursuing international peace, I love the University’s proactive approach to teaching. Whereas studying in America would mean I would have to wait a few years before I could engage in field work, I am already beginning it as a first-year student. This is, in my opinion, a vital way of teaching to ensure students are ready to hit the ground running in terms of achieving employment in their desired careers!
Another thing I love about Glasgow is the historic, Scottish architecture. Where I come from, our oldest building is at most 173 years old, whereas the University of Glasgow itself is 574 years old. Additionally, I am most familiar with Spanish style architecture, as California used to be one of Spain’s colonies. I had only ever seen campuses like The University of Glasgow in movies like Harry Potter. The breathtaking architecture reminds me of a castle, and every time I catch sight of the university’s towers I feel as if I am in a fairytale. Thus being, my favourite place in Glasgow is the west quadrangle of the University’s main campus!
In conclusion, Glasgow is a lovely city, and I do not feel as if I would’ve been better off if I had gone to any other university. There are many other reasons I love the city aside from the few I listed, and here’s to the hope that you and I will discover many more. Cheers!