The sporting culture in Oklahoma was something I will never forget. I had thought Loughborough was incredibly sport-focused, but the scale in the United States was huge. There were parades before football games, huge crowds and a general sense of excitement that lasted the entire day. Even though I could not join the track team because they required a full year commitment, I kept training independently. The gym was only a few minutes from where international students lived, so keeping fit was convenient.
Academically, the teaching style at Oklahoma State University was very different to what I had been used to at Loughborough. In Oklahoma classes were shorter and more frequent, either twice or three times a week. It reminded me of secondary school in some ways. There were classroom discussions, activities, attendance checks and lots of participation. I was surprised at first, but it really encouraged engagement. Although it was a big adjustment, it opened my eyes to different ways of learning, and I took modules there that expanded my thinking about potential career pathways.
