London Calling: You Should Go, Too! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

CAPA offers classes in a variety of subjects - economics, journalism, political science, English, history, women's studies, theatre, sociology, film, communications, art history, marketing, finance, psychology, and business. One of the classes I took was European Government and Politics - POL 307 (LNDN 3432). In this class, as you can imagine, we learned about the significant political and historical events in various countries across Europe. Although I myself am not terribly interested in international relations, I greatly enjoyed learning about various European nations, including Germany, France, and Spain, as well as the European Union itself. The course required a few papers, one presentation, and an in-class final. The professor, David Edye, is a but quriky, but highly intelligent and added life to even the driest material. When I had a question about the material or class assignments, the latest I would receive a response is the next day. I received an A- in the course. If you are interested in the European Union, or want to know a little bit more about the major players in the EU, take this class. Also, the class included out-of-class excursions to various locations around London, including the financial district. Regardless, I recommend it. The other class I took was Citizenship and Gender in Modern Europe - POL 390 (LNDN 3614), This class explored perceptions of gender and citizenship since WWII. This class required a paper, a presentation, and a 7 page research paper as the final. What I enjoyed most about the class were the out-of-class excursions. The schedule of class meetings to cover a topic were one class meeting, and an excursion the next class meeting. The topics covered in this course ranged from fashion, wartime, media perceptions, and art. The excursions included Selfridges and Harrods, the Churchill War Rooms, a walking tour of the homes of well-known, British feminist icons such as Mary Wollstonecraft, and the National Portrait Gallery. I loved this class. If you are at all interested in feminism, gender perceptions, or social justice, I recommend this class. I received an A for the class.

On-site administration of your program

All of the staff at CAPA London were friendly, approachable, answered any question I had, and addressed all of my concerns. There were designated staff for particular issues, and it was made clear from the beginning of the program which staff were best to speak to if we had a question in a particular area. If you have an internship, you a required to do a certain number of hours at your internships by the end of the semester in order to fulfill your Visa requirements. The CAPA internship staff required students to fill out time tables to record our hours in order for us and them to keep track of our hours. If you had any questions or concerns surrounding your internship, the staff were happily available to assist you.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

You have two living options when going abroad with CAPA. One option is a homestay, where you live with a family. The other, which I did, was to live in an apartment with other people. IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE OF THIS REVIEW (except the first section) PLEASE READ WHAT FOLLOWS THE ALL CAPS SECTION: all of the housing locations are distinct from each other. They all have advantages and disadvantages as compared to other locations. For example, as I'll go into detail below, my living area had decently sized bedrooms, and a nice sized kitchen. Also, were close to grocery stores, a pharmacy, and a Poundland (same idea as a dollar store). However, for my living area, we were also in more of a lower to middle-middle-class area, and we were not super close to any clubs. That being said, I was perfectly fine where I was located because I'm not a club-goer. However, most of my flatmates were unhappy because they were club-goers. My advice to you is, once you get your housing assignment, learn about as much of the area as you can, and consult staff at CAPA to see if they have any advice for things to do in your neighborhood. I was housed in Westburn Townhouses, located in Kilburn Park (NW6). There were five other groups of people, including the group I was with, housed in that complex. There were three boy groups, and three girl groups. The groups are not coed. Each house contained a kitchen, living area, and four bedrooms. The house was three floors. I was with a group of seven other girls. Six of the girls were from different universities than me, and one was also from my university. There were four bedrooms in the house - one triple, two doubles, and one single. I had the single. ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE: If you want to try for the single (now, mind you, I did not know having a single was an option while I filled out my program application), fill out the section that will say something along the lines of "specific housing preferences." I put in "I prefer a cold room." As a result, I was given the room on the ground floor, which is the single. I am not a social, outgoing person. However, I felt quite comfortable with my flatmates. We all got along quite well. I, and my flatmates, believe this was because we all had distinct personalities, so no one person clashed with another. Yes, there were arguments, but those were not often. The reason I mention my having a more reserved personality is one of my biggest concerns was I would not getting along with my flatmates. However, my fears were almost immediately assuaged once I began to get to know my flatmates. Therefore, my advice to you is to not make assumptions about anyone before going abroad, and, even if you have a personality like mine, I promise you will make friends.

If you are someone who enjoys food of different cultures, you will thrive in London. From Chinatown, Indian food, Thai food, and Middle Eastern food, you will not be disappointed. Of course, there is McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, and Starbucks (I frequented Starbucks). There is also a Shake Shack, a USA mid-Atlanitc fast food place, that has excellent burgers, and shakes. I recommend sampling the ethnic food, though. The grocery stores - Tesco, Sainsbury, and others - had fresh produce, meats, bread, cheeses, and any other groceries you could need.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I lived in Kilburn Park (NW6), which has a lot of minorities. As someone who comes from the suburbs of New York City, I did not feel uncomfortable with living in a largely Muslim neighborhood, where most people were dark-skinned. Some of my flatmates, who came from different types of neighborhoods, did feel uncomfortable. My internship was in a similar type of neighborhood (N8). I felt a little more integrated with the local culture in the area around my internship because I spent more time there than the area where my living area was. I did not feel culturally isolated, though. With London in general, I felt totally integrated by the end of the program. I again credit this with growing up outside of New York City, and frequenting NYC all my life. Regardless, friends of mine who came from more rural areas told me they also became accustomed with London in general by the end of the program.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had no health-related issues during my time abroad, so I cannot give a valid opinion of the NHS, or its level of competency. A few of my flatmates got sick, and appeared to be treated well through NHS.

In the neighborhood where I was housed, and London in general, I felt safe. I have a few safety tips: - If you carry any sort of pocket book, or purse, put it on so that side that has outside pockets is facing you. Pick pocketing is VERY common in Europe, and doing this is one way to prevent yourself from this. - Designate one location in your purse, wallet, or backpack for your Oyster Card. It is EXTREMELY important that you do not misplace your Oyster Card. Your Oyster Card is loaded up with money to provide you enough Tube rides to last you through the semester. One of my flatmates lost her card, and, although CAPA replaced the card, it took a while for her to get it back. - If you, like me, brought your smartphone, never put it in your pocket. if you can avoid it. Leave it in your purse or backpack. I do know people who had items stolen from them. My general advice is to use your common sense, but do not be paranoid. I honestly felt quite safe. Be mindful of where on you your important items are.

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

I was able to live on about 125 pounds (about 200 dollars) a week. London is an incredibly expensive city, and you must limit yourself to a budget. I was able to splurge a bit on trips to other cities.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Educational opportunities
• Opportunities to explore London

• More details on the variety of housing locations.
• Unlimited WIFI, instead of a weekly allowance of minutes and bandwidth.

The Academic or Linguist