The Life of Two Cities with BU London & Paris Past Review
By A student (Art History, Criticism and Conservation., Trinity University) - abroad from 05/19/2012 to 07/15/2012 with
Study Abroad Programs in London
I now have a greater understanding for London and Paris themselves, and how they have become the great cities that they are while they continue to confront major social issues as living monuments for their respective countries.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
You really learn the cities you live in through this program. The readings can be challenging and there are some papers that need a bit of focus, but most of the work comes into play in the field as you walk around and soak in the urban history and landscape, drawing connections between different buildings, neighborhoods and cities. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff were very friendly and helpful, and did everything to help you adjust and immerse yourself into the local city-life. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing in London was wonderful and conveniently located in Kensington and Chelsea. We lived in a flat and had a shared kitchen. In Paris, the location was equally amazing (just a short walk from the Eiffel Tower) but was dorm-style with a shared bathroom and no real kitchen. |
| * Food: |
No food was provided whatsoever. In London, this was less of a problem since we could cook and store our own meals. Paris was more challenging because there were two shared fridges for everyone in the building, one microwave, and a toaster oven. If you're ready to eat out a lot or eat a ton of sandwiches and salad it can be great... |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The London staff especially made an effort to get everyone out of the dorms and into the city to see shows, concerts, museums, go to pubs, clubs and restaurants...anything to really live the city. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no issues, but on the first day we were walked over to the nearest doctors and given the names, numbers, addresses of who to call. |
| * Safety: |
Both cities were quite safe despite all of the international events of the summer. We were given quick updates at the beginning about any laws that we may have been unaware of and were notified about general safety precautions abroad. No one experienced any incidents while I was abroad. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
If you know where to go for food, London could be done on $100 or less per week. I'm sure the same could be said for Paris if you also had a kitchen. Since that was not the case, it became more expensive very quickly ($200 per week?) |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Find local bakeries! Fresh bread and sandwiches are delicious and relatively cheap. Don't forget that prepackaged foods have expiration dates set much earlier than when they actually go bad - shopping the discount aisles or nearly expired section will give you good food for much cheaper. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Food pricing and how to manage expenses a little better given the housing conditions. |
