London's Calling And You Shouldn't Ignore It! Past Review
By Paige A (Art History, Criticism and Conservation., Truman State University) - abroad from 06/29/2012 to 07/27/2012 with
College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS): London - Kingston University
I gained an ability to be adventurous and outgoing, as well as independent. I also gained just a wonderful cultural experience of being in the city. I absolutely love this city and it is definitely worthwhile (despite all my blisters from walking). I honestly wish I was still there, it's brilliant!
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. |
Since it was a survey level class, so much content was attempted to be given in such a short period of time. However, this meant that some depth was missing from some of the lectures. But, the resources available, etc. were very good. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was 20 minutes away from class, which was a bit of a hike, but otherwise good accommodations. |
| * Food: |
No dining halls (for student residency), but food sources (groceries, pubs, etc.) available all around. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
With the exception of the occasional cultural phrase/slang, everything was very welcoming, felt natural, etc. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
It seemed fine, I never had need of it. |
| * Safety: |
London is very safe, I never felt threatened. Of course, it's always good to be on your guard, but even wondering around at 2am I felt perfectly fine. Always good to carry a map, though. |
| 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) |
It depended on how often I went out during the week. Food and such was not terribly expensive, but going out every night can still eat up money. Groceries were reasonable, so I could easily live within a small budget if I wanted/needed to; it really depended on the week's activities. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | maybe $50-$100; depended on my activities |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eating out can get expensive if you do it every night; the dollar store (or 99 pence store) gets you loads of food for cheap, though healthier food is available at the grocery store and is fairly priced. Cards are generally charged by the swipe, so getting cash at an ATM and using that is usually a better option than always swiping your card. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Class lecture setup |
