London: The East, The West, and all of the Rest! (Please Mind The Gap) Past Review
By Manuel L (BDIC and Theater, University of Massachusetts Amherst) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: London, England
Absolutely! I would do my abroad experience over again if possible. I have realized that I need to continue to open my eyes to new horizons. Going on an international trip has expanded my understanding of other cultures with first hand experience. I definitely am now deciding that I am not going to graduate school right after completion of my undergrad program. I am now moved to continue traveling, gaining real world experience, and see where that takes me and my interests.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I just want to say that I really enjoyed the overall educational experience that I gained while in London. I learned so much from the courses I took and was to take away lasting knowledge due to the teaching structure. The course load and schedule was very manageable as well along side working as an intern. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
From my experience, I believe CAPA served us very well as a host country program. All of their staff were really committed to our experience and education abroad. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
This was the best decision I made! Living with a host family allowed me to live with a local family in London. This was a fantastic way to get more out of the culture and an extra lasting connection. I couldn't have asked for a better host family! They were absolutely fabulous! |
| * Food: |
So many diverse options that people may assume don't exist in London! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
CAPA did their best providing field trips and cultural events to attend outside of class, etc. It was great to take advantage of that! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't even hesitate in doing so! And if you are having any kind of doubt, keep calm and carry on...trust me. It will be an absolutely brilliant experience! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
20th Century Art |
| Course Department: | ART 353 |
| Instructor: | Liz Mundle |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course, regardless of the course work, was where I took the most out of the artistic experience abroad that pertains to my major. The professor was very knowledgeable in the area and couldn't have done it better. I absolutely participated more that I would of at my home institution! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Learning Through Internships |
| Course Department: | GST 303 |
| Instructor: | Anthony Gristwood |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was alongside the internship that I had in London. It helped put aspects of the experience into context. Unfortunately there was not enough enticing elements to the course to make it as rewarding as the rest of my courses. There was also an element of redundancy that took away some thrill from the course content. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Understanding Modern Britain |
| Course Department: | IST 356 |
| Instructor: | Joy Frith |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course really was vital to help my understanding the abroad experience in Britain. It supplemented the little that I knew about the history of the new culture I was immersed in. I especially loved the size of the class because it was about 10 students. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Living Theatre in London |
| Course Department: | THT 325 |
| Instructor: | Ruth Mateer |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was fantastic and the professor was just a true charm to have! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
