Good Time in London (No Thanks to Arcadia) Past Review
By Caitlin C (Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication., The University of Texas at Austin) for
Arcadia: London - London Internship Program Summer
Again, I enjoyed my time abroad. But I have heard other study abroad companies are absolutely amazing, so I was almost shocked at how poorly Arcadia was run.
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 grading system was extremely difficult compared to the United States. A paper I wrote during this program would get a 60, whereas in the U.S. that same paper would have granted me at least a B+. |
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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? |
Arcadia was supposed to assign its students to 3 different London apartment buildings that were owned by the company. But they overbooked the program, and therefore about 20 students were forced to live in a fourth housing assignment that was actually a hostel. Some students had to share a kitchen with other people they had never met before. The hostel was located in a nice area, but the structure of that living situation differed vastly compared to the other housing situations of the other students. It caused a great deal of unhappiness for those living in the hostel, something that lasted for the duration of the trip. Some of the other housing locations did not know that there were even students living in a fourth location. We did not have someone who worked with the program at close proximity to help us with things we needed, which all of the other housing did. |
| * Food: |
We had to either cook our own meals or go out to eat. So we were responsible for everything we ate. Arcadia did not provide us with any money or any type of food card for our trip. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were no field trips or special events arranged by our program. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I wish I would have been more aware of the exchange rate. During my time in London the exchange rate was 1.6, so everything I bought was nearly double in terms of American dollars. That caused me to spend much more money than I was realizing. |
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? | Roll with the punches! And expect nothing from Arcadia. |
