Everything that I had hoped for and more Past Review
By Emily A (Rollins College) - abroad from 01/11/2012 to 04/21/2012 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: London, England
I learned a lot about myself from studying abroad, which sounds cheesy and cliche, but that's because it's true. I become very independent while studying abroad, figuring out the tube and bus systems on my own and learning to budget for weekly expenses and traveling alone across Europe. But I also made lots of new friends, both local and American, easily. I may never see most of them again, but I am still in contact with several. These are the people who made my semester superior and I'm so glad I got to know them. I had many of the best experiences of my life during my semester abroad and it was completely worthwhile. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I am so glad that I bit the bullet and did it!
Review Photos
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 |
The administration at CAPA were all very helpful, nice, and eager to talk to the students. The people at CAPA - from teachers to front desk staff - made it a pleasure to go to class. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a flat that was very far from CAPA and my internship. It was very nice, clean, and spacious, which I appreciated, but it was too far from CAPA. I would have preferred to live in a smaller flat closer to the inner city. |
| * Food: |
I made all of my own meals in my flat or went out, so I can't complain about the food. British food is not that good, but I found somethings I like. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Since I was doing an internship as well as taking classes, I felt very integrated into British culture. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did get sick on more than one occasion while abroad, which happens to most everyone, and I went to the chemist and got medicine and took it. I did not ask for help from CAPA, but I'm sure they would have helped if I had asked. |
| * Safety: |
There were several safety issues that came up during the semester. A guy from my flat building was robbed and beaten outside of our flat very early in the semester and this worried everyone who lived in our building. Ollie, our house manager, installed cameras around the building and I never had any problems. I felt safe traveling around the city and personally never had any trouble. |
| 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) |
Although food was not included in my program, I did get a 40 GBP (British pounds) stipend every week, which was very helpful and roughly $60. I used this primarily to buy weekly groceries and tried to save 5 GBP a week to put in a fun fund. I did have to take money out of the ATM in addition to this stipend about once every two to three weeks. The key is to take as much money as you can out at once, so you save on ATM and conversion fees. Plan ahead, and you won't run out of money. Also, be conscious of the exchange rate, so you always know what you're paying because its usually more than you think. |
| * 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? | it varied week to week. One week i would only spend 40 GBP and the next 200 BP. But on average I spent 60 BP ($92) on groceries, household goods (toilet paper and dishwasher detergent, etc.), and a pint here and there or a new sweater. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save up a lot of money before you study abroad! Of course, every program is different and every country has a different currency. London is super expensive in particular. So, if you go there, save up a lot of money before you go and spend wisely by planning out grocery trips in advance, so you don't spend all your money in one place and have extra to go to a club or out for a drink with friends. Cover charges can get expensive! Remember that you're going to buy clothes and souvenirs abroad, so allot for that when planning your budget. You don't want to wait to the end of the program to buy souvenirs and then realize you have don't have any money left. Also, so you don't have to pay extra for baggage when traveling as I did, remember that you never need as much stuff as you think you do; so when packing, bring half of what you think you'll need, and leave room in your suitcase to bring things home like new clothes and souvenirs. Shop at the Pound stores (or equivalent in your country of choice) for things like toiletries and household goods, so you have a little extra pocket money for the fun things. When in doubt, ask the locals a cheap and trendy clothing store or a good place to go for happy hour. They always know. It's okay to be frugal, you're a college student! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | How to pack lightly! Baggage was a big problem on this trip. I wish I had brought a lot less stuff to London to make room for all the things I bought there. But I have never been so cold in my life, so I thought I needed more clothes. The key is layers, lots of layers! Also, I didn't realize European airline companies had such different rules from American ones. Only one carry-on? Really?! |
