London Internship Program - A Break From the Norm Past Review
By Collin K (Marketing., Providence College) for
Arcadia: London - London Internship Program
Being obsessed with advertising, working in marketing in a different country was astounding. The insight I was able to gain into my passion was unbelievable and I believe that I am a different person for it.
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. |
Overall I found the London atmosphere a lot more open in terms of education. The one British class I did get to take I found challenging, but insightful, and the professor gave me a unique insight. Because of my internship the workload was most likely less than a full time student would've face, but working four times a week definitely didn't make it easy. I only wish I had more integrated classes rather than simply American. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
While the program, classes, people, and living spaces were great, I found Arcadia to be one of the most frustrating and unorganized administrations I've had to deal with as my four years as a college student. Many emails went unanswered and many questions never addressed. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Dining in London is different. Not the best food in the world, but unique and still tasty. I definitely recommend going to the cafes for a quick sandwich and Kennedy's on Goswell's Ave has the best fish and chips around. DON'T BE AFRAID OF PRAWN FLAVORED CHIPS THEY ARE DELICIOUS |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The St. Patrick's Day festivities were amazing. All of the clubs, especially Moonlighting, Ministry of Sound, and Fabric. All of the historic landmarks! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
London is one of the safest cities in the world. While we were learned of many of the possible dangers that could happen our program explained to us that the biggest crime that took place was pick pocketing. I never once felt threatened while alone in the city. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | By groceries once every two week and you should be fine! Look for bargains and don't eat out every meal. Cooking isn't that hard! By frozen meals if you really can't cook. |
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 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? | Anyone who is open to learning more about themselves and the country from which our majority of history is derived should study in London. While the internship program is very challenging and doesn't leave a lot of time to travel, being so submersed in every aspect of a country's culture (work, education, social) is well worth that sacrifice. |
