Emily

Emily Hwu is currently majoring in Psychology at Vassar College (New York, USA). Originally from Texas, Emily came to Goldsmiths with a group of other Vassar students and a faculty member in the spring term of 2019. She spoke to us about her classes at Goldsmiths, and her favourite places in New Cross.

Tell us about the classes you’re taking here at Goldsmiths

Goldsmiths offers a lot of subjects that my school doesn’t, so I decided to take a brand management course since that’s something that is not offered at my home school, and it’s an area that I’m definitely interested in pursuing.

I’m also taking ‘London Theatre’ - I’ve always loved the theatre and I’ve heard great things about the London Theatre course from past students who had come to Goldsmiths. It was really cool seeing a new show every week, especially as there were a lot of shows that I wouldn’t have selected myself. It was different forms of theatre too, like devised theatre and dance shows.

My two courses were very different. There were 10 people in my London Theatre class who were all Study Abroad students, and 70 people in my Brand Management class from all through Goldsmiths – I was the only Study Abroad student. Everyone I met in that class was so nice and helpful.

Have you explored London while you’ve been here?

I tried to keep in my mind that I should try a new thing every day, even if it’s going to a new place nearby. My favourite areas were definitely Shoreditch and Greenwich, which are both very close to here. Greenwich is beautiful – I went there on the first sunny day that we had here and it was amazing. I walked through the Queen’s House and I saw the Meridian Line. Shoreditch is such a fun, hip area. There’s always people graffitiing and it’s really cool. I love all the cute food places and unique stores, and there are lots of vegan places too.

Have you enjoyed living in New Cross?

I really like our location. I definitely felt like a tourist in the first few weeks, as I was just trying to see as much as I could. I wasn’t familiar with the area so I had to ask people a lot of questions on how to get around. It’s great to surrounded by lots of students in New Cross – it makes it feel more like a home base here, as opposed to just a temporary vacation home.

What’s your favourite place in New Cross?

I’m obsessed with Mughead Coffee as they play live streams of things on the wall – like pandas in the zoo or penguins. Plus, their cinnamon rolls are so good!
I also love Rising Sun café, which is right across from Loring Hall. The couple that works there are so sweet – they remember my name and where I am from. I go there a lot.

All the places nearby are a lot more affordable than other areas of London, which is great because they are the most convenient as well.
I’ve gone to Peckham a couple of times. Tickets at the Peckhamplex cinema are so cheap – only £5!

What’s been your overall impression of London?

I grew up in Houston, which is a super diverse city. I see a lot of parallels with here in terms of the diversity of the restaurants and the people, which I really appreciate. 
London also has nice seasons – it’s actually not as grey and dismal as I thought it would be!

How have you found the teaching at Goldsmiths?

My teacher that I had for my Brand Management class was amazing and when I met her during her office hours she was very helpful about my assignments, and she even emailed me afterwards to make sure I understood everything. She was so kind and supportive. Even though it was a big class she learned everyone’s names and made an effort to make a personal relationship with everyone.

What are your plans for the future?

I have a vague outline right now, but something that I’m really interested in is healthy desserts, like Halo Top. They came to the UK recently. I’m interning this summer with a company in New York that’s like that but with cookies. That’s why I really wanted to take the brand management class while I was here. I actually did my final assignment on Halo Top! I definitely want to apply what I’ve learned in psychology to branding. In my class this semester we’ve read many articles about psychology studies that were used to access different branding methods, so it was a nice marriage of my interests and made me realise that they do fit together with what I want to do.