This semester, students in the Colgate University’s London Economics Study Group (LESG) are spending their days not only studying economics but also dodging tourists, mastering the Tube and living in a city with buildings older than the United States.
14 Colgate economics students are in the program led by Associate Professor of Economics Rick Klotz. Unlike other groups, they take all four classes together, which were pre-determined for the program: British Economy, International Trade, Environmental Economics (taught by Professor Klotz) and Contemporary Theatre and Culture in London, England. The classes are held in the Accent Global Learning — London Study Center.
Currently, they are on a five-week break from classes to complete an internship at various companies in London. For many, the internship opportunity provided by LESG is a deciding factor when choosing between study abroad options. Internships are arranged by an internship manager at Accent, who pairs students with London-based companies based on their interests and preferred office structure.
When discussing his goals for the five-week internship, junior Dylan Bzdell emphasized how he wanted to gain an economics-related experience and immerse himself in an office setting.
“I wanted to be in-person, five days a week, full-time, interacting with people and learning from people in this environment,” Bzdell said. “I knew there had been hybrid internships, and I didn’t really want to do that. I wanted to really experience it. It seems silly to me to come all the way to London, England to, you know, just be working hybrid — you could do that back in the States.”
As it turns out, being fully in-person has allowed Bzdell to realize that it is truly the people who make the place.
“I haven’t really done something to this level of being small before, but it’s nice to be able to see all aspects of how a company runs,” Bzdell said. “Being able to talk with each individual person who does something different and see what it means to them [is valuable] because it really feels like they all love what they do. They do it because they want the company to succeed; it doesn’t feel like they’re just doing it for a salary.”
LESG coursework, particularly in British Economy and Contemporary Theatre and Culture in London, England, exposes students to different aspects of living in the United Kingdom. The courses allow students to learn about contentious political and economic issues and experience a popular form of artistic expression.
Contemporary Theatre and Culture in London is taught by Professor Mark Wheatley, and requires students to attend a new theatre production almost weekly. As a double major in mathematical economics and English, Bzdell seemed to find the perfect intersection of his academic interests through the LESG study group.
Bzdell emphasized that the plays selected for this course — everything from popular, long-running musicals like Hadestown to newer productions such as Deaf Republic — offer students a broad understanding of the West End theatre scene. Although the shows are pre-selected, they expose students to forms of art they might not have chosen to experience on their own.
For part of class, Professor Wheatley provides lenses through which students can analyze theatre and film, and encourages students to engage in class discussion.
“I genuinely love just watching a play or reading a book, and breaking it down, discussing and analyzing it,” Bzdell said. “I think that goes hand in hand with the economic side of it: it’s all about analyzing things, breaking it into its components. I feel like it kind of gives us a break from the full on economics courses, but we’re still going in that general direction.”
The theater course allows students to utilize strengths developed by economics courses, such as analytical thinking, within a creative lens. Through rebranding this skill, students are able to think critically about a production’s success in delivering a message or developing a story.
Unlike other study abroad programs where students take classes through a host university, LESG is entirely run by Colgate. This means that LESG students live, travel and take classes within the same group of 14. Junior Cristian Palmer reflected on how this impacts the program as a whole.
“I feel more comfortable contributing in class,” Palmer said. “I talk more than I talk in an average Colgate class because I’m with people who I see everyday. So I don’t really care if I embarrass myself in front of them.”
While studying and living alongside the same small group of people can have its shortcomings, a large benefit of LESG is the ability to build strong friendships.
“I didn’t know a lot of people on this trip coming into it, so I got to make a lot of new friends and meet new people,” Palmer said. “… It’s kind of fun to be in class with somebody and then also being in Italy with them the next weekend. Part of the good thing about being in a Colgate group is that the people will all be back on campus the next semester too.”
Studying abroad isn’t just about seeing new places, but about self-discovery and development.
Junior Tarushi Jain, reflected upon personal development while in London, England.
“Sometimes when I step back and I think about being in London, I’m like, there’s so much I want to develop. I really am not the kind of person who enjoys going to museums or enjoys going to artsy galleries, but I want to develop that,” Jain said. “London has so many opportunities to develop artistic aspects of yourself.”
While only halfway through their semester, it’s already clear that this experience is about so much more than sightseeing and academics for those who participate in it.
