Don't go here for the academics June 16, 2022

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I was incredibly disappointed by the academic experience at Queen Mary. You basically teach yourself by completing the readings put online and using those to complete the midterm and final exams, whose prompts are also put online. Courses meet for two hours a week, one each of lecture (sit down, be quiet, and listen to the professor) and seminar (group discussions about the reading), and the entire grade of a course is determined by your performance on the midterm and final exams. Ultimately the effect this had was that students only do the readings necessary for those two assignments, ignoring everything else. The quality of the seminars then suffers because usually nobody has done the reading, and since it doesn't matter how much you participate, most people just stay quiet. It's difficult to form any meaningful connections to the professors in this situation, but most of mine were available to connect during office hours. Additionally, the way exams are graded/handled in general is pretty hostile to students. In order to ask for an extension you need to submit paperwork to the relevant academic department detailing the reasons, which itself isn't problematic, but these requests aren't processed for months. You won't know if your extension has been approved until after you've handed your assignment in late. This wouldn't be a huge issue, but since handing in an assignment one week late can result in failing a course, it results in a lot of unnecessary anxiety and uncertainty. Grading is also completely anonymous, and the university even brings in outside assessors/companies to grade your exams. This completely disconnects the grading of the assignment from the course and the professor, and can sometimes result in a less accurate grade being given. I can't speak for STEM majors, but since discussion and connection with other students and teachers is so important in studying politics, it was really disheartening getting to Queen Mary and seeing that classes are set up in ways that prevent those connections. I had hoped that academics in the UK would live up to their reputation, but courses are just more stressful and less detailed. The only reason this gets two stars instead of one is because of Arcadia's internship program. I was able to work for an Member of Parliament while taking classes at Queen Mary, and it was a great experience.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Arcadia recommends that you stay in university housing--keep in mind that in the UK, housing is only provided to first years, so you'll be living with freshmen. This was an issue for me, it may not be one for you.

On campus food is nothing to brag about, but there's tons of diverse food options in the neighborhood immediately surrounding the university. And if you're willing to take the tube, you can find anything you want in London

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The disappointing academics overshadowed everything else in this program. If I could choose another program I'd do more research into course structure and student academic experience beforehand.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

London is an expensive city to live in, but if you cook a lot and make sure to save on food during the week you should be fine.

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