Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

A Whistle-Stop Tour of the British Isles. Past Review

By (Music., Brigham Young University) - abroad from 06/20/2012 to 08/06/2012 with

Brigham Young University: London - English Language in Britain Study Abroad

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that it's fun to see new places and to learn about them, but I also learned that we don't know how good we have it in America. It was definitely a worthwhile experience.

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.

We didn't have a lot of time for actual classroom time. As a result, I felt that the courses were easier than they would have been in a home setting.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

We mostly had to provide our own 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:

I don't think I felt unsafe once.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

I think it's important to remember that traveling always costs more than you expect it to, and that would be a good thing to remind future participants of.

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 100 a week on food at least, other expenses varied.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Make friends and split things like meat and cheese. They go bad quickly when you don't have a fridge and it'll save you a little extra.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Apartment
  • Hotel
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • I loved that I got to see so much of the British Isles. At no other time in my life will I get such an extensive tour of that area. I loved making friends with the locals and also with the girls on the trip.
* What could be improved?
  • If unstructured time is scheduled into the plan for the day, it would help if the girls had some idea of what was available to them. Even knowing in advance that you'll be on your own for five hours in Dublin would help, because then you'd know that you need to look up things to do in the area. We ended up wandering aimlessly waiting for the time to end one time to many.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? It's okay to bring things like purses and laptops with you, as long as you're careful about it. I didn't bring either and it ended up hindering my experience quite a bit. Also, ALWAYS bring an alternative way of getting money (two bank/credit cards for instance.) Getting stuck abroad with no access to money is NOT fun.