To all future LCers, I say, get ready for the experience of a lifetime!

But be prepared to feel like you got run over by a car the first day or so; the time change can be a killer. Once in London, if you feel terribly homesick, don't freak out, call your parents if it helps, it usually will. Some people go through it the first day (I did) some people it takes a few weeks, but everyone goes through it at some point, so be prepared for it, but don't let it override your happiness. You are in London after all!

You may feel like it's a totally alien culture, in a totally strange and wonderful world, but by the time you leave, London may just feel like home.

A few tips on what to bring to London:

• The large type power adapter with three long thick rectangle shaped prongs in the shape of a T, with each prong placed on each extremity
• The "European" converters, with two cylinder shaped plugs will NOT work in England; I fortunately brought both.
• Bring a Laptop if you have one! People who don't end up with problems getting your assignments written, I say again BRING A LAPTOP!
• Bring a small travel umbrella if you can, London really doesn't have weather much different from Indiana, but if you don't have an umbrella, you may regret it.
• Pack light if you don't have friends coming to London. You will buy a lot of stuff, everyone does, and if you don't have anywhere to pack your new stuff, you may just end up shipping it home and that WILL be pricy. (Been there, done that!)
  

While in London:

• If you're into books (I AM)...
  go to Waterstone's on Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus Tube Station). It is the largest bookstore in Europe. You want something, they have it. Period. You will also want to go to the Charing Cross (Trafalgar Square) Tube station (Bakerloo Line) and head north from Trafalgar Square along Charing Cross Road. This is the book lover's paradise.
  
• If you're into musicals...
  London is AMAZING with the musical, see Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace (Across the street from Victoria Station on the Victoria Line). Also just across the street from the Victoria Palace is the Apollo Victoria, featuring the famous musical Wicked, with the original green girl, Idina Menzel, starting September 7th. While in London one may also want to take in: Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty's Theatre, near Trafalgar Square), Les Miserables' (Queen's Theatre, near Piccadilly Circus), Mary Poppins (Near Piccadilly and Leicester Square).
  
• Don't forget those fellow Americans you came with
  Get to know them, if you do, whenever you see each other after this experience, you'll feel a special bond, and that's something to treasure. 
  
• I know a lot of people say it, but get off the beaten path
  Just wander around sometime. Now, be with someone else, or you may end up scared out of your wits, but really explore London for the city that it is, not just the tourist attraction.
  
  Visit the museums, they are free after all, but don't just go once. You have three months, visit a few times, and really take the time to enjoy the art. When else are you going to have that opportunity?
  
• Get out of LONDON! Get out of England!
  This is something I didn't do enough of. This is your opportunity, get out, and see all those places you have only seen in books! Go to Paris! It's only two hours away via the Eurostar, and if you book early, it's not all that much money ($150 to $300, depending on how early it is and how flexible your schedule). Go to the Louvre on a Friday (It's free after 6 if you're under 25). See Mona Lisa, and push your way through the crowd, it's worth it.
  
• Go to all the places people do know about too!
  See the changing of the guard, although it has become a bit touristy admittedly, it is still something uniquely British, and you may see the Queen, some of our group did. Visit Kensington Palace, it's really not worth it to go inside, but although it is a palace it has a quiet remote feeling about it. See Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, he's over by the Serpentine.If it's possible, have your friends or parents come to visit, it really is a special experience to have a friend come visit, and after a month or so, a friendly face from home is exactly what everyone may pine for!

As far as fitting in to London, you won't. But neither does anyone else, it seems. London is a patchwork of people from every walk of life. There are many business people who are obviously well to do and fit the American image of a British person, yet there are just as many kids our age who dress and look just like any American kid, although they might just speak a bit differently.

As far as speaking, yes you will get pinned as American, but often this will just intrigue people and strike up conversation, which can be very interesting.

With regard to safety, I felt much safer in London than I ever have in Muncie, and I've lived here all my life; go figure. It is a big city, but only a handful of times was I bothered by beggars, and a firm "No" was all it ever took to get them on their way. Also, it seems there is a noticeable police presence throughout London, should you ever need them; I never did, and neither did anyone else that I know of.