I recently returned from an unforgettable semester abroad in LA at the University of Southern California. This is only the second year that the exchange between USC and Queens’ has run, and I was
thrilled to be accepted onto this new and exciting programme.
In June 2014 I graduated from Queens’ in Modern and Medieval Languages, specialising mainly in Russian with a focus on cinema. As USC is rated the no.1 film school in the world, when I first heard about the exchange I knew that I had to apply. One of the best and maybe unusual things about this exchange is that the student is able to take any class at USC (within reason!); this meant that I was able to pursue my interest both in Eastern Europe and film by taking classes in Critical Studies within the School of Cinematic Arts, as well as classes specific to Eastern Europe in International Relations and History. Although the most exciting class was perhaps the Theatrical Film Symposium, in which we were able to preview upcoming films days or even weeks in advance, followed by a Q&A with the director or producer, the most significant to me was History of Global Cinema; this was a class filled with students doing Masters programmes and PhDs, which at first was quite intimidating but gave me a really valuable taste of graduate school life, and has inspired me to think seriously about returning to cinema school in the future.
Whilst studying was very enjoyable, many of the memories that I will take with me from this semester come from time outside of class. I was involved in a number of student projects, including a mental health awareness campaign and teaching in a disadvantaged area of LA, and was lucky enough to make a lovely group of friends. Adventures included trips to San Diego and San Francisco, a quick trip cross-country to visit an old friend in Michigan, watching late-night movies at the Hollywood Forever cemetery, hikes to the Hollywood sign, Halloween fun at a pumpkin patch, Thanksgiving dinner with the president of the university, and many trips to the beach. ‘Football’ (of the American variety) played a big part in the semester; for every home game the campus turns into one big ‘tailgate’ party, and the huge stadium is filled with people wearing red and yellow USC gear. Although I still have absolutely no idea about the rules of American football, disguising my ignorance by cheering when everybody else was, the whole pomp and ceremony of it, not least the marching band, made it a very special part of my semester. It was also fantastic to experience life at a campus university, quite different from Cambridge; the USC campus is always a hive of activity and you are never short of things to get involved in, and it was great to live so close to the action.
I would like to thank both Queens’ and USC for this wonderful opportunity, and especially the programme organisers at USC for making me feel so welcome.
