Canterbury England: Everything England should be. Past Review
By Ian R (Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas., Illinois State University) for
Canterbury Christ Church University: Canterbury - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
YES.Hands down.
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. |
Workload was very minimal, and simply required alot of papers and concentration. Kind of hard to get down and do things from time to time due to distractions, but its very VERY manageable. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Before departing the US was a bit of a hassle waiting for my paperwork and departure details. home address in the UK, my class schedule, etc...BUT after i arrived they were quite punctual , polite, and easy to work with. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The building was extremely close to not only campus, but also the downtown/shopping area which was very convenient and made for an amazing time with pubs, clubs etc. However the accommodation itself i had some issues with. Multiple times during my stay the fire alarms were broken, waking everyone up at early hours in the morning, there was a mold issue in several bathrooms, and the washing/drying machines broke down numerous times. Also, the maintenance staff was often late in fixing things. THAT was really annoying, but hopefully the Canterbury people have now fixed whatever issues there were. |
| * Food: |
we weren't given a meal plan with our apartment, but the food in England in general is amazing, cheap, very fresh, and tastes much better than people give it credit for. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
our accommodation was a 5 minute walk in either direction from a nightclub, and it is a very college-y. Pubs every 10 feet, cheap drinks at the student union (which is essentially a bar) and lots of fun things to do around town without alcohol. Easy to make friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Aside from the mold issue in our bathrooms, it was perfectly healthy. The safety is not even a factor. Police in Cantebrury dont even carry guns- THATS HOW SAFE IT IS. It has a small town feeling with the benefits of a large town. Also, our apartment was righ tdown the street from the police station. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you only buy food and necessary items, you can easily live off less tan 70 pounds a week. Buuuuuttt the booze and clubs add up, as well as traveling abroad. Just make sure youre aware of how much youre really spending in US dollars when you spend pounds. Your money will be near cut in half sometimes. That being said, things are cheaper there alot o fthe time (in pounds than dollars) so it about evens out. Just be aware. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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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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? | GO. You wont regret a minute of it. Great Bars, Great Clubs, Great Food, Beautiful Girls, easy classes, and nothing but fun times. If youre not that social of a person, you might want to change that, otherwise whats the point of going abroad? |
