Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

CAPA London Past Review

By (Communications and German, University of Massachusetts Amherst) - abroad from 01/09/2013 to 04/20/2013 with

CEA CAPA Education Abroad: London, England

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I had an amazing time with CAPA International Education in London. Although it was initially daunting to be dropped in the middle of such a huge city with a bunch of random people, it turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my life. CAPA was really good about trying to get you acclimated to British culture and customs. They never lacked knowledge on how to handle various cultural situations that we as Americans were not accustomed to. They were able to provide a lot of help and support in many different arenas. They also had a wide variety of interesting classes and internships available to the students. One particularly memorable class I took was Post-War British Popular Culture with Moe Dodson. He was very intelligent and toted his students all over London; places that one would never even imagine existing. It was an amazing class and made for a memorable experience. CAPA also offers a wide variety of trips and tours within London as well as outside of the country. If you do study with them it would definitely be in your best interest to take advantage of these offerings. Through CAPA I was able to have an amazing cultural adventure and make life long friendships as well as gaining much needed work experience. I highly recommend going on this program if you want to get work experience outside of the United States and have an overall amazing time.

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.

The classes weren't overly time consuming when it came to homework and such, but it was fairly similar to a regular semester class load.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

CAPA did not provide any food (outside of snacks in the building and special events)

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This may not be true for everyone. I branched out and played with a local rugby team so I felt like I got to embrace the culture more than some of my other friends on the program.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

At one point I got really sick and went to the hospital and the NHS was fairly comparable to the care you would get at home except for the fact that it was free.

* Safety:

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)

It was fairly easy to live on a students salary as long as you were conservative with your grocery shopping. The most expensive part of being abroad is traveling within and out of the country.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Approximately 40-60 pounds a week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Do not buy frivolous things. Try and set yourself a budget each week for food and don't buy a lot of unnecessary items such as clothing and knick-knacks. You'll regret it once you have to pay expensive baggage fees on the way back home.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* 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? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Classes
  • Travel Opportunities
  • Internship
* What could be improved?
  • Internship Selection Process
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew that I didn't have to pack so much stuff!

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.