A Semester of Growth and Independence Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

My CAPA courses were not as challenging as I am used to at my home school. There was less work and studying involved, but there was so much more involvement as we took numerous trips around London and were able to directly relate them to class in multiple courses. My educational experience was much more well-rounded than like at my home school where I'm usually sitting in the classroom every day.

On-site administration of your program

The people at CAPA were truly part of the best experience of my trip. Everyone there was so friendly and helpful and really seemed to want me to have a great time. It did not take me long to feel comfortable with the staff and that I could talk to them about anything.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The living experience was one of the more difficult parts of my trip, but I did not care as much because I didn't go all the way to London to sit around in my flat. However, it was tight with 5 girls in 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. I got to be good friends with some of my flatmates which helped out a lot. Basically, London is a crowded space, but I know of some other CAPA students that had more room than us.

I mean, this has nothing to do with CAPA since we lived on our own, but London has some amazing food. The stereotype about British food being bad is so wrong. I loved the "traditional" British food I had like meat pies, and I also loved visiting different markets and seeing what the stalls had to offer. London street food is the best.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This is some of my fault, but I still didn't feel like a part of London when I left. I felt like a part of the city, but not the people. Being there for a semester allowed me to feel what it is like to actually live there and to be like a local, but I still didn't learn everything I wanted to about living there. I probably would have felt more in-tune if I had lived with a host family or participated in an internship though, of which I did neither.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had a health problem, but CAPA explained to us the first week what to do if I did need to go to a doctor or learn the healthcare system.

I honestly never felt unsafe while in London. Sure, it's a large city and you can't be stupid walking around, but I don't remember ever feeling like I was in an uncomfortable situation. Try to stick with a buddy if you're out after dark though, just like you would in any place.

CAPA was the best fit for me. Since my home school is affiliated with them, my scholarships paid for me to study abroad. True, I didn't make any local student friends since our classes and flats were with other CAPA students, but I made friends from around the United States that I would otherwise have never met. I liked all the people who work at CAPA and I miss them as much as I miss the program.

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

I'm used to being thrifty even at home, so I was okay with living off of pasta and rice so I would have more money for travel and other experiences. I should have saved more though, because even cheap food adds up.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• being part of student council
• the faculty and staff of CAPA
• cultural programs/trips

• scheduling of MyEducation events
• more designated quiet areas to work within the CAPA building
• encourage more students' participation in CAPA sponsored events

The Academic or Linguist