Studying abroad was the best decision I've ever made Past Review

By Katie M (Biology, General., University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for

Arcadia: London - Queen Mary University of London

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

Studying abroad was the best decision I've ever made. Ever minute, every dollar was worth it. I was really nervous about how big the city was coming from a smaller town but London was never intimidating. You have to keep an open mind and a sense of humor about everything and just go with the flow. You also become more aware of other cultures because you are immersed in such a culturally different place that you can't avoid it.

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place:	Fall 2009

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The classes were great for the most part. Participation was valued and sometimes even counted toward the grade. The professors really wanted to make sure you understood and wanted to hear feedback from the students.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I was in Pooley House. Each flat had 8 rooms and a main kitchen. Each room had a twin size bed, a desk, a small closet, and a bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower. It's small, but manageable once you get used to it. <br /><br /> Housing was assigned to us which was really nice to not have to worry about finding our own housing. The housing was on campus which was gated. I never felt unsafe or anything like that. Classes were about a 2 to 5 minute walk from my room and the nearest tube stop was about 5 to 7 minutes depending on traffic. It was very easy to get to central London because there were 3 different underground lines from the MIle End stop.
* Food:	It was sometimes difficult to find ingredients to make some dishes. Being a vegetarian would be easy because almost all foods say if they are vegetarian friendly or not. Restaurants can be expensive. Wetherspoons was a great deal for students and was only about a 10 minute walk from campus. There were plenty of kebab shops or take away places around campus as well. You have to keep an open mind and be ready to taste different things too.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	My advice would be to travel as much as possible (without jeopardizing your classes). I was lucky enough to only have class on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I got my work done early in the week and was able to travel on the weekends.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	One of the main things they emphasize in orientation is to travel around in pairs. I never felt unsafe if I walked around by myself though.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	It was cheaper for me to get cash out and use it instead of using a debit card. I would take out 200 pounds at a time and would use it by about 2 to 3 weeks depending on night life and eating in or out.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Going to the markets was one of my favorite parts of London. You can bargain the price down almost every time with the the vendors. The Tube got expensive. Try to get a student Oyster card and then you can get a week, month, or 3 month travel pass which works out to be cheaper then paying as you go. Tipping isn't as expected in London as it is in America. 10% is standard if you tip at all. This will surprisingly save you quite a bit of money.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Overall, Arcadia was a good program. The communication between the American offices and London offices seemed to be lacking. There seemed to be unnecessary papers to fill out about ourselves (the homestay forms) that were never looked at by the people in London.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	The Scene of Teaching
Course Department:	COM 100
Instructor:	Delphine Benezet
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was very interesting and just challenging enough with the rest of the course load other classes were handing out. The teacher was always prepared and had good examples to help the students understand. Class participation was encouraged in lecture and expected in seminar. To be ready for class each week, expect to read quite a bit, and don't put it off to the last minute.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Transfer credit has not come in yet. They say it takes about 6 weeks from when grades are posted at the university just to get the transcript back to your home university and then even more time after that to go through your home school's administration.

Course Name/Rating:	The Age of Impressionism: Art in France and Britain 1860-1900
Course Department:	HST 5300
Instructor:	Giovanni Aloi
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was my favorite course. The professor was great. He kept a 2 hour class light and upbeat, but expected the students to answer his questions instead of answering them for us. We took advantage of all the museums and galleries around including the National Gallery, Tate Britain, and Courtauld Institute.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Higher-Further French 1
Course Department:	LLU 115
Instructor:	Paul France
Instruction Language:	English/French
Comments:	This class was more verbal than reading or writing. It was challenging at first but the professor was really helpful if you got stuck mid-sentence. He assigns homework and will look at it, but doesn't grade it. The class does a lot of partner work too.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	BUS 001
Course Department:	Fundamentals of Management
Instructor:	Ron Holland
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was in a big lecture hall and the notes were posted online so class participation was not expected. There were only 4 seminars in the semester where attendance and participation were expected. I personally did not like this professor or class. I didn't feel it was interesting or engaging in any way. The professor was not interested in the students and at times was quite rude.
Credit Transfer Issues: