Campus life at Roehampton is much different than that of Central’s. At Roehampton, students have a lot more independence than offered at Central, including not having a meal plan, no resident advisors, and more.

The Market, Central’s main dining hall, is a place where everyone gathers to eat and socialize. At the Market, it is very common to see the same group students sitting in the exact spots every day. Students on the sports team typically sit at large tables in the same area. Groups of students in clubs will often sit together. Everyone has their social group and tends to stick to it. However, at Roehampton, it is more challenging to spot students forming groups. Mainly because most students cook for themselves, and we don’t see groups gather in one place as often as well. I feel that not forcing students to have a meal plan helps them to be more independent and adapt to what life will be like after college.

Another difference between Roehampton and Central is the resident’s halls. At Central, the rules in the dorms are much more often enforced. Every building has multiple RA’s that walk the halls throughout the night. There is a strict noise limit after a certain hour. Guest or other students must be out of the building before midnight. And, drinking is not tolerated at all. At Roehampton, living is much different, and students are allowed a lot more freedom. There are flat reps in the building that can give you advice; however, they are not there to enforce rules like RA’s are. In fact, there are few rules in the flats, and the rules that are posted are more of a suggestion. This just goes to show that at Roehampton, students are allowed much more independence that I believe will help them after college.

Another point in noticed at Roehampton and in London, in general, is that people overly friendly when saying goodbye or thank you. I always felt like it was a competition as to who could get the last word when leaving a store or class at Roehampton. If you say thank you, they say thank you as well, which always threw me off, and I would often respond again which typical they would also respond as well, and repeat.

Overall, I have found that I enjoyed Roehampton’s campus more than Central’s because of the large amount of independence offered. I also felt I was easily welcomed into the community and able to makes lots of friends. There were many times where I noticed how different British culture can be from that of the Midwest American culture; however, I always managed to get through any hiccups and learn something I may not have known before.