Leeds, England: Unforgettable Past Review
By Merrie D (Fine Arts : Painting and Drawing, Longwood University) for
API (Academic Programs International): Leeds - University of Leeds
I have changed a lot. Its very eye opening to come to other cultures and visit countries that you've only heard about. The world is so huge, yet life is life wherever you go. People still go to the grocery store in Paris and wash their cars in Portugal. Being an American is something to be proud of, but you also have to prove yourself to other cultures. Being open minded is important. I would really like to talk to students who are planning on going abroad and hear what their hopes are. I also would find it fun to talk with students from other countries studying in the US. Each experience is different and each one is not what you'd expect. I'm working on my senior project which is a series of paintings and I'm planning on using many of the photographs I've taken while abroad in my work. Its been an amazing few months and I would do it again without hesitation.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | N/A |
| 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. |
I do not want my grading of the Academic experience to reflect at ALL on my feelings about studying abroad. I simply found the British education system to be less hands on and in depth. Students were expected to learn MOST material on their own, to not ask questions in class, and most of the grade for each class was dependent upon the final exam. I think that this is not an effective way to learn and can be clearly seen by the average British students attitude towards their education. Many, many students will only go to 1 or 2 of any single class a SEMESTER. I would estimate that 90% of my classes started late because the teacher was late or no other students (other than myself) showed up to class. Leeds University is not an easy school to get into and is rated highly on the list of world Universities. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time abroad and absolutely LOVE API, I have to say that I am unsatisfied with the educational system in GB and am very glad to get back to Longwood. Thankfully I only had to go to class for 10 weeks and could then spend the rest of my 19 weeks here traveling and learning from the many fantastic cultures I got to visit. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I can not say enough positive things about API and our Leeds leader, Rachel. She is very accessible, available, kind, generous and knowledgeable. I loved all of the trips she organized. I feel like API's program really enabled me to enjoy my time here without having to worry about messing up on technical details such as signing up for classes, dropping a class, being miss billed, bad roommates and switching apartments. All of those things happened to me and Rachel quickly and efficiently helped me through them all. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was clean, functional and temperate. The facilities were good and it was a fine place to live for a few months. The only problem I did have with it was that API said it was a 20 minute walk from campus. This is definitely not the case. I am a runner and pretty athletic and it takes me 40 minutes to get to the beginning of campus. And that's walking like a Brit (which is about 2 times as fast as I used to walk in America)! |
| * Food: |
The dorms were self catering. The local grocery is well stocked and friendly. It was not hard to find food to cook. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went to London, Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon, and went on individual day trips to many castles, abbeys and historic houses around England. I loved them all and really enjoyed my time with our API leader Rachel and my fellow API students! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Thankfully I had no health issues while being abroad ( I am still abroad and will not be home until 3 weeks from now so that could change, I suppose.) |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
My German class was the only one that I feel like I learned a lot in. The facilities are fantastic and there are plenty of opportunities for students to practice and get hands on experience. Great program and great teacher! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The education system is quite different from what you are used to. Take only level 1 or 2's. Try and take general education classes only because most of the students here are starting off MUCH more specialized that you are and therefore you might be lost. API will help you with anything, just ask! |
