Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Great Experience, Some Reservations about the Program Past Review

By (Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 09/11/2012 to 12/15/2012 with

Arcadia: London - University of Westminster

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My experience abroad was definitely worthwhile - being in a different country and having the chance to travel was priceless and an experience I'll always remember. My particular bad experience with the program made me realize I need to research more into programs before I choose one, but I don't regret the whole trip (just the program!)

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I was not impressed with my program because the price was exorbitant compared to what we received as students. There wasn't enough information about housing choices beforehand and not much help when I was unhappy with my housing arrangement, the events that were put on for us were far and few between and were not adequate for the price we were paying. Compared to other programs and the programs my friends were involved in (which cost substantially less), what we received from our payment was less than the resources and benefits my friends in other programs received.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Not close to London, had to spend a fortune to travel back and forth. Quality poor and the helpfulness of staff was dismal.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Don't stay in Harrow, because the university there has one main tube line (which was fine, Metropolitan) but when it was shut down we had to walk about 15 minutes in dark streets that didn't feel safe. Had an incident walking to the grocery store passing a suspicious man who followed us for a short period of time. Suburban areas isolated from the city don't feel super safe, especially when you're alone.

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)

Expenses were close to $500-600 a month, which is HUGELY expensive to me. A tube pass was really expensive and inflated by the fact that I was 30 minutes by tube out of the city.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $60-100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Try to be as close to London as you can because there's not much to do in the suburbs and you'll want to be in the city and not have an expensive tube pass.

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?
  • Nothing.
* What could be improved?
  • Housing information
  • Cost information - if you live far from the city, it will be EXPENSIVE.
  • Activities/dinners/trips for students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? To research the program and compare and contrast. I wouldn't have chosen Arcadia if I knew what it would be like. Being abroad was wonderful, but the program was not.

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.