London In Review May 23, 2023

By A student (Economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/11/2023 to 06/02/2023 with

Arcadia: London - Queen Mary University of London

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Going abroad was probably one of the best decisions that I have made and it was certainly worthwhile. When choosing to study abroad, I was terrified at first. I had decided that I was going to study in London and didn't know anyone else in my program. It was scary to pack up and do something completely new and different. But, I gained so much valuable life experience. I learned about myself and grew as a person. I became much more independent. I can travel anywhere by myself if I had to. I learned a lot about people and different people from myself. Everyone is the same. The commonalities among people from all over the world are crazy. To summarize, I learned the most about myself and about the city of London as well as everyone else I traveled to. Studying abroad was able to make me realize how big the world is and yet so small at the same time. Traveling to Chamonix, France, the South of France, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Mallorca, Dublin, and Iceland are experiencing I will never forget. Learning about the culture and seeing different museums is so interesting and eye-opening.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	There are fewer assignments which makes the weight of those assignments much larger. Doing well on the few assignments is crucial. There is often less to do during the early periods of the semester and as the semester continues, the assignments quickly build up.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	My living arrangements were fine. I would have rather had a closer knit group of people or a place to live with a little more community involvement. Because I arrived during the second semester, everyone had their own bathroom there was fewer interactions with flatmates. My room itself was nice and having my own bathroom was a plus.
* Food:	The food in London is great. There are a lot of options and many different cuisines.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I felt pretty integrated with local culture especially once leaving the campus.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	None.
* Safety:	The campus felt very safe and there were lots of security.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No I probably wouldn't choose the same program just because I didn't love the location of Queen Mary in London. It is a bit further outside central London, and I thought being on campus would provide me with a more community oriented experience, but I found that to not be the case. Despite their being so many students, there was not a great sense of community on the campus and within the flats. I definitely would still go with Arcadia. I thought Arcadia did a great job of helping connect with other students and had so many great activities but was also hands-off. I would still choose London because the city is spectacular. London's history, architecture, and the people are amazing. I would not change going to London for a second.

Finances

* 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)	It is definitely different when abroad to live on a student's budget. Because you are traveling and spending more time in the city, it is very easy to spend a lot of money. Without budgeting and taking notice of your expenses, it can quickly get out of hand. Budgeting and planning ahead are definitely extremely important.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$150-$200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	For traveling it is very important to plan ahead and pack light. You don't want to wait until the last minute because everything is more expensive. Plan out your day and decide what you are going to spend. Budget your money for the month to decide what you are going to spend money and what you would rather not. Cooking whenever possible is super helpful, not spending a ton of money on delivery is important, and trying your best to limit unnecessary expenses is helpful.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	The people I met. I loved being in London and experiencing the culture. The opportunity to travel to other places in Europe.
* What could be improved?	housing school resources/ class quality more community involvement
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I talked with a few people about studying at Queen Mary and being in East London. I think before I went I thought I understood what it meant to study in Mile End on the campus. But, now, I have a much better understanding of this area in London. While the University is close to central London, you have to take the tube to get to other areas. For me, this was an inconvenience and I liked the other areas of London more.

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 Outright Urbanite A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Capital Markets 1
Course Department:	Economics
Instructor:	Manolis
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The class was challenging and consisted of two hours of lecture a week and a one hour seminar. The instructor for the seminar was not very helpful in answering questions and would just put the answer key to the homework on the projector. There was barely any discussion. The lectures were interesting but very similar to the textbook reading. The Professor did not go into much detail beyond what the textbook offered. I participated definitely less than I would have since there was no discussion in the lecture. The assessment consisted of two online quizzes, one group project, and a final exam.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No, the class was already pre-approved by Middlebury.

Course Name/Rating:	Austria Today
Course Department:	Language, Linguistic, and Film
Instructor:	Martin Stocker
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The class was not very challenging but the teacher was definitely knowledgable on Austria because they were from there. I participated in the class about the same as I usually would. I found the class very interesting because it was discussion based and covered a lot of different subject matters in Austria. More specifically, we spent a lot of time focusing on Austria's involvement in World War II and the politics in Austria. It was interesting to compare the differences and similarities between the US, Austria, and England. The assessment consisted of one paper, one presentation, and one final exam.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.

Course Name/Rating:	London and Its Buildings
Course Department:	History
Instructor:	Matthew Walker
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The class studied the history of architecture and focused on architecture in London. I found this class challenging and also extremely interesting. We went on multiple field trips to different areas in London and looked at the buildings, the materials the buildings were made out of as well as the time period and type of architecture. The teacher was very knowledgable and well prepared. I participated in the discussion about the same maybe a little less. The assessment consisted of two papers. The first paper was an exhibition panel were you analyzed the architecture of one building. The second paper was the final paper and was based on a topic of your choice.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.

Course Name/Rating:	Games and Strategies
Course Department:	Economics
Instructor:	Christopher Tyson
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course was challenging but interesting. I really enjoyed games and strategies. There were no field trips. The teacher was knowledgeable and well-prepared but the lectures were often a slower-pace. I participated in the seminar a lot and found the problem sets to be difficult. The assessment consisted of three quizzes and one final paper. The assessment did not do a good job of capturing the knowledge that was acquired during the course. For instance, the three quizzes were five multiple choice questions. Because the quizzes are administered online, there is no partial credit for showing work or the steps in solving the problem. The final paper was difficult, and there was limited directions on the expectations.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.