Anna Hepfer, '24, Biological Sciences

Every year, Drexel partners with the St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia to offer a major scholarships for one student selected to study abroad at the University of Aberdeen. This year, the recipient of the $25,000 McNeil Scholarship (for study in Scotland) was Anna Hepfer, a Junior studying Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences.

"I’ve always wanted to study abroad, and I wanted the ease of living and studying in an English-speaking country since it’s the only language I know. Honestly I’ve been in love with Scotland for a long time despite the fact that I’d never been here before. It just seemed like the natural choice. Drexel offers two study abroad exchange programs in Scotland, one at Napier University in Edinburgh, and obviously the second at the University of Aberdeen. I spent about a month trying to choose between them since I’ve always wanted to see Edinburgh specifically. My study abroad advisor, Lauren, suggested that I apply to Aberdeen in part due to the McNeil scholarship associated with it. I’m very thankful for her guidance throughout the whole process...I’m glad I chose the University of Aberdeen - it's a perfect fit for me."

Studying abroad in Aberdeen, writes Anna, has provided access to plenty of other parts of Scotland - including Edinburgh. "The third weekend I was here, I met up with two of the other scholarship winners in Edinburgh for the day...I’ve wanted to see the city for about 5 years now, and it was everything I’d dreamed it would be. It was also nice to compare experiences- although we all came from different American colleges [with the other students], and [though] we’re all studying at different Scottish universities, we’re all united by the McNeil scholarship, and the experience of moving from the US to Scotland."

The McNeil scholarship covers the bulk cost of studying abroad for a year in Scotland - everything from housing, visa applications, flights and travel costs, not mention groceries. "I’m currently a junior studying biology and concentrating in ‘cell & molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry.  I’m planning to apply to graduate school...for PhD programs in either cancer biology or immunology. From my understanding of how financial support in higher education usually works, a scholarship like this - with so few strings attached - is exceptionally rare. I also know that receiving the McNeil scholarship, and my experiences at the University of Aberdeen, are inevitably going to cause a ripple effect through the rest of my career. Students who are scholarship recipients are more likely to receive additional scholarships in the future, and I hope this applies to me as well."

"Despite the UK’s monarchical, political, and economic upheaval right now, it’s impossible not to be impressed," writes Anna. "Although I myself am not disabled, I would recommend Scotland for any disabled students or faculty. Both the city and the university seem very accessible for wheelchair users, blind people, and students with learning disabilities. Additionally, Scotland recently instituted a new social program called the “National Entitlement Card.” Every Scottish person under the age of 22 gets an ID card that gives them discounts across the country and free bus travel. I’m sure there’s more I’ve forgotten to add! I am so excited and so grateful to experience everything that Aberdeen has to offer."

Interested in learning more about studying abroad and how to finance it? Click on the links to find out.

All photos by Anna Hepfer.