London: $15,000, experience & memories= pricless - no words, except LOVE Past Review
By Alysia P (Communication and Media Studies., Illinois State University) for
AIFS: London - Richmond International Internship Program
Definitley. I am coming back not a changed person but an improved person. I feel more complete and mature and confident in my future and my abilities than I ever have in my life. I have learned and experienced so much and the sky really is the limit. My academic interests have stayed the same but as for my future - i think I may want to work for FremantleMedia, they are an amazing company and have offices in california, so hey, what is stopping me? :)
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The British Culture class really helped to bridge the gap betwreen the states and london. Our teacher Justin was incredible and we even got to go on field trips. It was nice because he was local and new things that didnt just come out of a textbook-it was his actual knowledge and experiences that he was sharing, I loved it. The workload was reasonable and hands on. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff in the residence hall were great, especially when dealing with our bed bug issue, and the internship staff were also very helpful and I trusted them and they placed me in an amazing internship. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
They offer a ton - but we chose to do these all on our own, we experienced nightlife, concerts, festivals, venice, paris, barcelona, the touristy things like the aquarium, zoo, the eye, and also the historical things and culture things like markets,pubs, the cuisine, etc. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
VERY safe-we are staying in the most posh, safe, expensive place of london it is very safe. Health issues - bed bugs, and I have not been sick here so I can not comment on the health care system. No issues or vaccines i needed |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I came with $10,000 in my bank account and now have $1500 - the currency exchange kills you, especially being in one of the most expensive cities in the world. The program gives you £60 a week for food but that lasts about 3 days at most. Although I did shop a lot, and travel to spain, france, and italy. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | cost of food - so expensive when you have to eat every meal out |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Somone who is open minded and looking to gain independence and mature. This experience truly prepared me for my future while giving me a whole different view on life. This study abroad program is not like any others, working in a different culture allows you to really learn the culture and the people and it was incredible. I know I will stay in contact with these people for the rest of my professional career, and they will make it for me. I also have gotten a bigger view on life and it has opened my eyes to what is out there, and shown me that there really is no limit to what you can do, who you can do it with, and where you can do it. |
