Love London, Regret doing this program Past Review
By eileen c (Franklin & Marshall College) - abroad from 09/09/2018 to 12/20/2018 with
Boston University: London - London Internship Program
Abroad was the best semester I ever had. I learned how to adapt to a new environment and travel alone and stay organized. The skills I obtained are life skills and I will cherish the memories I made in London forever.
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. |
The classes were long and some were intense but there werent a lot of assignments. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was really unhelpful and not accommodating. I have heard of several situations where they were rude to students and unhelpful specifically with early or late departures for varying reasons. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Great area, small rooms with broken elevators. |
| * Food: |
The food in London/South Kensington is expensive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Only hung out with Americans in class and in our buildings so not very integrated. Internship was with mostly working adults so it was hard to be around peers our age. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare was easily accessible and easy but the program did not assist with any accommodations I asked for regarding medical reasons. There is an on-site psychologist who was very kind and helpful but besides that I experienced unprofessional and overall rude behavior towards requests I made regarding my newly developed medical condition while abroad. |
| * Safety: |
I feel extremely in South Kensington and in most of London. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
The program schedule is busy. There are no days off during the week and you have to submit a form every time you are absent even for illness. I missed out on trips with my friends in other programs because of our intense schedule. Some staff I encountered were rude and I didn't feel had my best interest. |
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) |
I spent a significant amount of money on food since the program provides no food or dining hall services. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $250+ |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | I wish I knew how unsupportive and unaccommodating the staff would be to various students. Abroad is difficult for everyone and when medical and mental health issues arise, it would be nice to feel supported and feel secure while 8+ hours away from home. |
