The event was timed to coincide with American Thanksgiving, an important holiday for the majority of associate students who come on exchange from universities in the United States. In the spirit of the holiday, Dr Regan Koch brought in homemade pumpkin pie, which many students and staff were eager to try for the first time. There was also pizza and other snacks too.
“We’re really grateful to have international students because they often bring a completely different perspective” explained Dr Koch, who is the International Study Officer in the School and the go-to person for any associate student queries. “They inherently add a geographical dimension to our classes.”
The majority of students attending the event were American, but there were also students from Australia, China and Denmark. QMUL hosts the UK’s largest international study programme, with more than 300+ students attending the university each semester. Many of these students are surprised to learn about the wide-ranging subjects that fall under the umbrella of geography in the UK, and are pleased to find modules that fulfill degree requirements across the social and earth sciences.
“This is such a lovely gesture that the School of Geography does for its associate and international students, who especially around this time of the year tend to miss home. Especially our US students who I know appreciated being able to have some pumpkin pie and celebrate Thanksgiving” said Ceri Bevan, Head of Global Opportunities at QMUL, who also attended the event with other members of the Global Opportunities Team.