An amazing life changing experience!! Past Review
By A student (Communication Disorders Sciences and Services., University of Massachusetts Amherst) - abroad from 07/02/2013 to 08/17/2013 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: London, England
I learned who I was as a person. I was forced to step out side of my comfort zone and do something I have never done before. Going to a foreign country by myself was scary and I thought that I wouldn't make any friends. Looking back, that was a ridiculous thought. I gained valuable friends from all over the US that I still keep in touch with, amazing networking connections and an amazing experience to put on my resume.
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. |
Loved learning about London with my "Understanding Modern Britain" class taught by Professor Mike Fosdal. Had us write 2 papers (midterm and final) and brought us out into the city to have some hands on learning. Also had us read newspaper articles for homework to keep up with the current news around United Kingdom. My LTI class I did not enjoy as much. Although I know it is required for my UK visa to have 20 hr internship and 8 hours of class, I felt as if my LTI class was just a filler and I did not gain much from it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Administration of program was extremely helpful and always there to answer any questions. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
LOVED living in Earl's Court! 10 minute walk to CAPA, 2 minute walk to Tube station, close to restaurants and supermarkets! The flat itself was cute and quaint. Made great friends living in a smaller complex than other CAPA flat locations. Only downfall was lack of AC during 80 degree nights! |
| * Food: |
I mainly lived off of pasta, pizza and fish and chips. Finding the right food to eat was difficult for me, mainly because I am a picky eater. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I mostly associated with other CAPA students. My internship was a small office (only 3 other employees) so that made integrating with locals a little more difficult. I did meet a group of Londoners at an Arsenal game... we still keep in touch! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I luckily did not experience any health issues while abroad but some of my friends developed colds, sore throats and such. A quick walk to the Boots Pharmacy fixed this right up! Because we were provided with insurance through CAPA, getting medication through the local pharmacy was not a problem at all. |
| * Safety: |
I did not have any complaints about safety while abroad in London. A couple of my friends had issues with pick pocketing. I, on the other hand, had the opposite experience when I left my wallet in a cafe and found out that it had been brought to the registrar with nothing missing!! I found this to be a rare, and very lucky, occasion. |
| 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) |
Like I mentioned before, I had a difficult time adjusting to the food, therefore I would spend the majority of my time eating out ($$$). Also, London is a very expensive city and our American dollar is not worth very much! I also went into the program having saved a lot of spending money so I wouldn't have to worry too much about budgeting while I was there. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $400 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try and get a part time job as early in college as you can or save up over the summer! When I was saving I would put 2/3 of my paycheck in the bank and have 1/3 for my other expenses, depending on what I had plan for that week. Serving at a restaurant was an awesome way to save money!! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | How to spend less money while abroad, hidden gems of London and how to meet more Londoners |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA 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. |
