Semesters in London are always interesting, but this spring has been especially interesting for Temple students because of the ongoing controversy over Brexit. While this unprecedented debate has brought plenty of uncertainly to Londoners and other UK residents, it is also raising questions for students visiting to study.
But Hadi Enayat, a professor of Political Studies at F.I.E., tells Temple Update any impact on students from Brexit isn’t likely to be negative: “Generally, I don’t think it’s going to affect Americans too much – it’s going to affect European students more.
Professor Enayat believes this is both an interesting and stressful time to be in London, and there could still be a wide range of outcomes. “It’s making things uncertain for business in this country, it’s making things uncertain for educational institutions. Everything is so up in the air,” Enayat says.
Junior Lindsey Ferguson is one of the Temple students currently in London. She says, “Studying abroad while Brexit is happening has definitely given me and all of us here a unique experience because it is such a time of uncertainty with government and UK politics.”
Although Lindsey is enjoying her time abroad, she is sometimes a little concerned about being in London: “I think being here while Brexit is happening is good and bad. It’s something you can say you were here for and it is also [in] some kind of way feels like an intrusion.”
Lots of students enjoy traveling between countries while abroad. Social and Political professor Ian Hill at F.I.E. believes there will only be minor disturbances for travelers: “I don’t think it’d make a tremendous difference because American student are non-EU. There may well be additional delays in Passport Control.”
With the original March 29th Brexit deadline now pushed back at least to April 12, students abroad and the rest of the UK will await a decision — or non-decision from Parliament.
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