Incredible, eye-opening, the time of my life! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was irritating at the time, because I wanted to be spending my time exploring the city. In retrospect, though, it wasn't nearly as stressful as a semester at my home university, and CAPA was particularly hands-on in the way they incporporate exploring the city and culture into their coursework.

On-site administration of your program

CAPA was extremely helpful and timely in resolving any problems a student had.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lucked out with the housing: five other girls and I lived in the extremely upscale Little Venice area, one street over from the canal. I passed a few celebrities on the street and the flat we lived in was gorgeous. The location was ideal: the Warwick Avenue tube was a block down the street and only ran the surprisingly useful & reliable Bakerloo line. We were one stop away from Paddington Station, and only a 10 minute tube ride from the bustling shopping mecca, Oxford Circus. I became especally appreciative of our location when I visited friends in Kilburn Park whose flat was infested with mice. The only problems we encountered in our place were: the fact that we had two showers but only one toilet (six girls sharing one full bathroom gets extremely difficult), and that the combination washer/dryer was ineffective as a dryer. That meant that whenever someone had to do laundry (frequently), drying racks were the only option and those were almost always fully occupied by another roommate's clothing. The problem I encountered in the social aspect was that we were relatively secluded from other kids in our program: 6 of us were in one apartment and eight were in an apartment next door. Striking up conversations in class to make friends isn't really an option and I was disappointed with the fact that the majority of students from the program that lived in other locations, though not as upscale as ours, were placed in housing that allowed them MUCH more frequent and simpler contact with each other outside of the classroom.

I missed American food for awhile after I arrived in the city, but CAPA would give us a 40-pound-a-week meal stipend in cash. That was a wonderful aspect of their program because otherwise our funds would've depleted much more quickly if we had to pay for all our food all the time. Plus the fact that they gave it to you in cash meant you could spend it however you choose, although it almost always went to food.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

As previously mentioned, CAPA incorporates cultural education into their curriculum: for two of my three classes we had "My Education" assignments, requiring us to choose from a number of options an event or location important to the culture. I also took a course called Post-War British Pop Culture (and the professor, John Dodson, was a wonderful person & teacher) that consisted mostly of field trips throughout the city while he explained the background and social effect of each place we visited.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got sick one time right before spring break and it was extremely difficult to track down the information required to make an appointment covered by the health care program they provided. A CAPA staff member named Kieran Kinehan was as helpful as he could be in the circumstances, but in the end I went on spring break with a case of bronchitis. I (and a number of other students) also received what I felt was an accusatory email from the dean of the program, basically stating that students in the past have had a habit of ditching classes right before spring break and that wouldn't be tolerated.

During orientation, they ran a number of workshops preparing us for the potential danger lurking in a big city such as London. They warned us about fake ATMs, pickpockets, muggings, etc, and brought in a hilarious police officer who advised us about how to have fun in a way that wouldn't compromise our position in the program and country. I visited friends who were also studying abroad and in cities just as big as London, they weren't aware of half of the safety precautions CAPA advised us to take.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I went over to London with an advised budget $3,500 and managed to return home with a few hundred dollars in my bank account (three months later and I still don't know how I managed that). The only reason it was as simple as it was is because CAPA gave us both the meal stipend, plus an Oyster card that provided us with unlimited travel essentially throughout the whole city. Travel is extremely expensive there - and I had an hour long commute to Greenwich for my internship - and the exchange rate from dollars to pounds is a killer. I definitely would not have been able to maintain expenses, or see as much of the city, had they not provided us with those two key elements.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Americans

Select all that apply

• Americans

• The ability to travel and explore as freely as we chose around the city.
• CAPA's overall helpfulness and attentiveness to the student's needs.
• Their encouragement (and mandatory) immersion into British culture.

• Three and a half hour classes once a week were so tedious; I understand there were internship hours to be taken into account in determining the curriculum, but after a certain point everyone would become so dazed in class that we stopped listening in favor of counting down the minutes.
• Create more events where the students would interact and form friendships. A student committee put one together towads the end of the program, so everyone was already stuck in their cliques and didn't really forge new friendships.