Best Semester of my College Life Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I really liked the education component of the program because it steered away from the traditional method of teaching. Rather than spending hours reading books or doing papers, instead the professors encouraged us to read news articles, to elaborate research habits and to find out what is going on in the real world to apply it to the classes we were taking. I really enjoyed that because it gave us the option to explore the world and actually see the circumstances outside of a textbook.

On-site administration of your program

The administration of the program was great. They were very helpful with a lot of different aspects and made us feel like home. They were always very attentive and provided help on various aspects from where to eat and grocery shop, to where to go to in London and what events to attend. It was just a great experience knowing that if we ever needed anything we could've stopped by the front desk or spoken to any of the staff and they would've helped us out.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was very satisfied with our living arrangements. Not only was the house beautiful but it was also in a very nice neighborhood a very short distance away from London's greatest areas such as Covent Garden or Oxford Street. My roommates were great and are people that will be my friends for a very long time. Even though we were in a different area than other people in the program, the convenient location of the Holborn tube station made it easy to visit them as well as take daily trips to other areas of London. The fact that we were centrally located really helped us appreciate the London lifestyle.

Food in London is great and there is a wide variety of options. Whether it is a food truck out on the street or a formal dinner, you will never get bored of the different types of food. This is where you can first experience diversity in London. In every street there are different types of food, from South Asian food to Italian, to Sushi to fast food chains like Subway or Domino's. Though it can get quite pricey to eat out every day, there are many supermarket options such as Morrison's, Tesco, Lidi and Sainsbury's that have numerous deals similar to target on specific items or have deals on ready-to-go food. There's even a Shake Shack on Covent Garden Plaza! The only big thing that I noticed is that if you would like to go out to dinner with your friends on Friday or Saturday, either go early at around 6:00 P.M. or make reservations because it will be very very hard to go to a restaurant as they are usually quite full.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Coming from a British high school in El Salvador I was already familiar with the culture since I interacted with many people, students and faculty, from different parts of the UK. This made my experience integrating into the culture a pleasant one, but it didn't stop me from getting pleasantly surprised when experiencing the amount of diversity that you are exposed to. Whether it be a simple tube or bus ride, you will always feel like you belong and never feel singled out regardless of where you come from. As a Salvadoran, I am glad I felt comfortable because it made me feel like I belonged.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had health issues or an experience with healthcare during my time in London. However, in the orientation sessions CAPA thoroughly went over the procedures for proper medical assistance and though I never experienced it, friends in the program that interacted with the healthcare system found the experience to be a pleasant one. Moreover, I did interact with Boots, the local pharmacy, when I caught a cold and the over-the-counter employees were kind enough to provide information on what would be the best thing to take and were very friendly as well.

London is a very safe city with very few crimes. Even at times where I had to walk alone at night I would still feel safe and our neighborhood was one of the safest zones in the city. However, like with most cities, if you would like to partake in night activities such as going to clubs then I would recommend traveling in groups especially if girls are involved. I never heard of anyone getting robbed or hurt in the program.

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

One of the things I enjoyed most about London is that it helped me learn how to manage my finances. In the beginning it was very difficult, because I was not used to being exposed to an environment where you have to budget yourself, do grocery shopping yourself and cook all of your meals at the beginning and end of everyday. At Clark we always have the Caf. or the bistro and food is just an ID swipe away. Being able to expand my cooking skills is an aspect that will help me after college. I learned how to do efficient grocery shopping whilst still having enough money to go out and eat out every once in a while. I was even able to apply it when I traveled around Europe during fall break. It can be very tough, but if you monitor and carefully list what your needs might be and what you might want to do during the week, this will make life easier.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Friendly staff.
• Great living arrangements.
• Amazing professors.

• More social events to help the students in the program get to know each other.

The Outright Urbanite