A new, awesome experience that I will never ever forget Past Review
By A student (Fordham University) - abroad from 01/11/2012 to 04/13/2012 with
Arcadia: London - City, University of London
I learned a lot about myself and who I am as a person. I know that sounds cheesy, but the program forced me to be very independent, which was really nice.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Courses were not that intense, work wise and grading was less intense than at Fordham. Resources for students were okay. The library was great though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on-site administration was minimal. I did not really have any problems so I did not use the resources. The only time I saw the Arcadia staff was during orientation. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was okay. The rooms were nice and big and it was great to have individual space. Liberty was also located right next to campus, which made getting to class very easy. I also recommend living in a dorm because it was easy to meet other international people, as well as actual City Students. My one complaint was the policies of Liberty were sometimes a bit ridiculous and intense. |
| * Food: |
My dorm had a kitchen so I cooked all my own food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living in a dorm right in Islington made it easy to integrate into the community and meet other students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The program supplied us with a type of health insurance, but I never used it. |
| * Safety: |
I felt pretty safe in Islington. The neighborhood was always very populated and it was always lit. It is a city though, so it's always good to be prepared for anything and everything. |
| 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) |
London is expensive. £20 is almost $35 right now and it was hard to function and have a good experience without spending money because everything costs money. Don't go to London if you don't expect to spend money. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | £20-£40, depending on the week. That traslantes to about $35-$60. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go to student nights. They save you a lot of money. Look for cheap deals on flights and hostels if you are going to travel. If I could do it again, I would buy the monthly student Oyster discount because I think it's really worth it in the end. Also, take public transportation. Cabs are too expensive and not worth the money because the buses run all night and the tube is great. Also, walk. London is very walkable and it saves money. |
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? | How expensive London is, how easy it was to meet people. How much I would love London. How much I would not want to come home. |
