Flatmates to family: London study abroad students find home within one another
News
SUMMARY: College of Arts and Letters students Emily Volin (’25), Ashtyn Conners (‘26), Mattie Wright (‘26), Jillian Kotin (‘25) and Charlotte McConville (‘26) had no idea they would form a long-lasting friendship after living together while studying abroad in London. The group still gets together regularly for “flat dinners” in Harrisonburg.
“Discovering each other at the same time as we discovered these new places made the basis of our friendship unlike any other that I’ve experienced,” says Emily Volin (‘25), thinking back to her flatmates in London. On a typical night, Volin and four fellow CAL majors could be found in their flat, laughing and watching movies over “flat dinner.”
Flat C was home to five women: SMAD majors Volin, Ashtyn Conners (‘26) and Mattie Wright (‘26); WRTC major Jillian Kotin (‘25); and political science major Charlotte McConville (‘26). A few months prior, they were strangers, each nestled in their own corner of The Quad. “We had met at London orientations, but no one really became close friends during those,” said Kotin. “It wasn't until our flat assignments were sent out that we actually started to talk.”
“I didn't expect to make friends as close as the ones I've made,” Kotin shared. Wright thought she would feel out of place in London, but instead, “I found myself feeling right at home and loved being there.” The group bonded and created once-in-a-lifetime memories through shared classes; trips to museums, plays and shopping centers; and even celebrity sightings.
Their shared identity of being CAL students made finding community within the cohort seamless and led to the long-lasting bonds within Flat C.
“The fact that we were all CAL students meant that we each had enough of an appreciation for art and communication that we could all engage in what we were seeing wholeheartedly and discuss it without holding back,” Volin shared. “The result was a community with no bounds for what we could collectively explore.”
“We were able to attend the Gladiator 2 premiere in Leicester Square, and it was one of my favorite moments of the whole program,” recalled Conners.
Even after returning to JMU, Flat C didn't want to lose what they had built in London. That meant putting effort into “making time for each other and ensuring we were a priority in each other’s lives,” Kotin says. The group frequently reminisces about their adventures; as Wright noted, “we send Snapchat memories [of London] every day.” They also continue the tradition of flat dinners and swapping movie recommendations.
Studying abroad brings Dukes together in a special way, creating connections that far outlast their time abroad and at JMU. These connections are a reminder of how students can find a lifelong community in CAL, even across the pond.
