The University of Nottingham: Walking in Robin Hood’s Footsteps by Catie Koch, Plant Sciences major

Nottingham, England, is best known around the world as the home of Robin Hood, a hero of folklore who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Maybe that was why it caught my eye among dozens of other study abroad programs to distant destinations. The combination of a familiar story and a far-off country gave me the courage to embark on a semester at the University of Nottingham last spring. I’ve been glad of that decision every day since, through the ups and downs of my journey – as I hiked through the breathtaking Peak District National Park, explored moss-covered castles, and even after missing my train back from Oxford.

As an Environmental Resource Management major, my motivation was largely to explore natural environments and see what other countries are doing to protect them. Many of England’s forests were clear-cut at some point to make room for farmland, and the remaining forests there are more highly managed than those of Pennsylvania. While visiting the Sherwood Forest, I learned about artificial alterations to younger trees to create the wildlife homes found naturally in older trees, like carefully removing rings of bark and cutting hollows. I walked through Wollaton Park, a historical estate near the university that manages its own population of deer. I saw rows and rows of saplings protected by tubes alongside busy roads. It was inspiring to watch these management techniques be put into action, especially since I could imagine similar conservation and restoration processes being used in PA.

My classes at the university were also a source of encouragement. In a policy-making class, I researched the UK’s green belts, areas of protected land designated around cities to prevent urban sprawl. I gained a nuanced viewpoint on arguments for and against green belts, and came to see why feedback is such an important phase of the environmental policy cycle. One course taught me about geographic information systems, and another about international agribusiness. I learned how climate change is affecting farmers in all parts of the world, and how measures like hardier crop varieties and flood/drought infrastructure are implemented to adapt to it. I was also able to take an English class about local writers, which counted toward my Creative Writing minor.

Spending a semester at the University of Nottingham was an unforgettable international experience that will shape my future academic and career goals. Future employers will look favorably on the experience because of my growth in both technical skills, like GIS usage and policy research, and soft skills, like communication with people of many different backgrounds. Equally important is what I’ve learned about myself: I can adapt to new circumstances and explore the world with a greater level of independence. I believe that anyone interested in studying abroad should consider this program and the many scholarships that are available to support international scholars.