Loving London Past Review
By Rachel Bonaparte (University of Hartford) - abroad from 09/16/2017 to 12/16/2017 with
API (Academic Programs International): London - University of Westminster
It was 100% worthwhile. Being abroad made me more confident in myself and my ability to travel around, it gave me a new independence and taught me how to be comfortable in new/uncomfortable situations.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
London has literally every type of food you could ever want, and the city caters to any type of diet. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I took classes with people from England and all over the world so that was amazing. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't' have any issues related to healthcare but if I did, I knew what to do and where to go to get supplies if I needed them. |
| * Safety: |
I always felt safe in London. My advice for future students is to be street smart and be aware wherever you are. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved API! My program included excursions that I wouldn't have thought to do on my own. They helped me learn more about London. Our resident directors Nadia, and Heather were really supportive and were there for us whenever we had an issue. |
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) |
You can easily live in London on a small budget but if you don't care about how much you're spending, you can easily spend tons of money. It depends on your personal budget. For me, some weeks I was frugal and didn't spend much money but others I spent as much as I wanted. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100-$150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eating out a lot will add up. There are some relatively cheap grocery stores (Coop, Iceland, Sainsburys) in London to buy food to cook, if you have access to a kitchen. There are definitely affordable restaurants in the city, just look for them and research. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew how good everything would work. Before I left, I was so worried about how I would get around, how I would use my phone abroad, and how the money situation would work. Everything was all basically perfect for me and I would have loved to know I didn't need to worry at all. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
