[music playing]

My name is Brian Ishisaka I'm studying finance, and I'm from Sacramento, California.

The College of General Studies experience, at least in my case, was the College General Studies London Program. That gave me the opportunity, as a freshman, to study abroad.

Within your team, you're in the same three classes, both in Boston and in London, with the same people, with the same professors. So you really work with the same people day in and day out. And you really are able to form relationships that other colleges might not offer. It's a more personal experience. There's no TAs or teaching assistants within the college, so you really get a personal connection with your professor.

I got a lot of support from them. They are very hands-on in your learning experience. And they really invite you to go explore the city and enjoy your learning and your education throughout the whole time there.

What was nice about the program was that a lot of your assignments and your tasks require you to go within the city and try new things or go to museums. I was able to see how other people live and their way of life and their way of thinking. And it is kind of nice to see a different perspective of how people operate in the world, as well as it was a great change of scenery for classes.

The CGS curriculum really lets you explore new ideas, different majors, things you want to try. It gives you that freedom to test the waters and see what you like.