London — From the American Bubble Past Review

I gained a lot from this program — having never had roommates, or my own place, I got the opportunity to live independently for the first time in my life. Coming from a small town, the transition to city life was transformative too. I would say the trip was absolutely worthwhile for me, but a big flaw is a lack of immersion. This isn't the case for all CAPA programs, but the London location is held in its own center, not an existing university. The program tries to make up for this with plenty of MyEducation trips and events: all classes are required to get students out of the classroom and immersed with their environment. To CAPA's credit, the London program does this beautifully, but environmental immersion alone didn't match the experiences my peers had in other programs. Most students I knew were trapped in an "American Bubble" — most of the people we met through the program were American, and while we were encouraged to breach this barrier, the setup of the program made it hard to encounter and meet people from the area. CAPA does have a very large internship program which helps with cultural and social immersion, but I noticed that most of the friends and acquaintances my peers met through this were work-related, and didn't end up maintaining long-term contact or becoming better friends. Personal regrets for me involve choosing a study location in an non-English speaking area. That being said, CAPA's staff are wonderful and supportive, and if you do choose this program, you will learn a lot through your coursework, your environment, and your work, if you choose an internship. However, as an American, I might encourage considering CAPA's other locations before choosing London.