"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." Past Review
By A student (HISTORY., University of Wisconsin - Madison) - abroad from 01/08/2014 to 04/24/2014 with
FIE (Foundation for International Education): London - Study and Intern Program
I gained a new perspective on the world just from being outside the United States for an extended period of time. Living in the United States my whole life I didn't realize that the world could operate differently and still be able to function efficiently. I would say it was definitely worthwhile exploring new places and meeting new people.
Review Photos
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. |
The intensity and rigor was well balanced with the topic of each course. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
FIE was an excellent Host Country Program Adminstration. The staff were friendly and very helpful, it was an extremely welcoming environment. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our group stayed at the Hyde Park Gate flat which was an excellent location and was very nicely kept. If something went wrong FIE quickly responded to fix the problem. |
| * Food: |
Food was expensive in London so we shopped at the local Sainsbury grocery store to buy our food products. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I think it should be a better way to incorporate students to interact with the local culture because if you're not willing to interact with others its easy to only interact with your own group. I was fortunate enough to be able to join a basketball club team at imperial college so I got meet and become friends with people who were actually raised in London. Maybe during the first week there should be something incorporated into the program where students can interact with other students from London. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any experienes with healthcare myself but another student in our flat had became sick and was immediately taken to the hospital and treated without any problems. |
| * Safety: |
I felt extremely safe while traveling London. I actually felt more safe in London than in my own hometown in the United States. However London is still a big city so future students should still be conscious of their surroundings while traveling specifically on public transportation. |
| 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) |
London was an expensive city to live in especially considering the exchange rate for British Pound to USD was around 1.8 at the time. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100-$150 per week. Sometimes more and sometimes less depending if we travelled |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | We saved money sometimes by going grocery shopping together and having select people buy certain items to share like a loaf of bread or milk. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? |
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? | I wish I would've knew more about British culture before studying abroad because it would've helped in a lot social interactions with local Brits and overall experience. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The NetworkerAn active student leader, it was important for you to network abroad as well. Once overseas, you sought out student clubs, volunteered with local organizations, or attended community events. You encouraged your friends join you, and often considered how you could reflect your international experiences in a resume. |
