Grinnell-in-London: Enjoy it but be prepared for real life! Past Review
By Kristina D (History/Political Science, Grinnell College) for
Grinnell College: London - Grinnell in London
Yes, as I previously mentioned, it was a fun, academically and culturally enriching experience. It helped me decide what I want to do in my future career. Additionally it helped me grow up and learn how to "survive" in real life busy environment.
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 grading system was pretty much the same. There were some differences in a history course taught by a British professor, especially when it came to what it means to be a historian and implementing historical methods, but the change was not too great, and the overall quality of course was preserved. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I enjoyed traveling with the Grinnell-in-London group. Furthermore, I believe Professor Vinter did a great job organizing the entire program. Accessibility wise, I believe more support should have been shown from both students and faculty. Maybe a quick orientation about accessibility would have been helpful for all the participants of the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
We had to cook for ourselves, so providing student budget the quality of food we ate was rather poor. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was great! Just being in London allows for a great number of attractions and cultural events. Field trips were part of the program and were amazing and my favorite part of it. Theatre plays we got to see were amazing as well. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I feel that health and safety was well handled by our program. The only concern was not everyone had full covered medical insurance, but for the most part it was okay. Also, London is relatively safe, therefore, I feel that was not the major issue. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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?
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* Who did you live with?
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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? | Be prepared to go outside the Grinnell bubble and into the real world where not everything revolves around students and people are not always polite. GIL is a great program that is academically and culturally very enriching. Furthermore, it provides a sort of preview of how you might function in life after college. Everyone should do it! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Principles of Ethno-National Conflicts and their Management |
| Course Department: | POL 295 |
| Instructor: | Julianna Fuzesi |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Yes! The course was amazing, and for me personally life changing. Professor Fuzesi is beyond great. Her teaching was very intellectual and with a nice flow, so that both political science majors and those who are new to the field could understand. The course was academically demanding and at the same time very interesting and enlightening. If there is any way for Grinnell College to bring Professor Fuzesi to teach at least a short course or to hold a lecture on campus, I believe that would be an exceptional and extremely valuable opportunity. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
