A crash course in British politics and parliament Past Review
By David F (Economics., Tufts University) - abroad from 05/19/2012 to 08/04/2012 with
Hansard Scholars Programme: London - Hansard Society
I am confident that I will never have such an amazing experience at an internship again. Working for a Member of Parliament was incredible and the experiences I had were well worth it.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | London School of Economics |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Most of my educational experience occurred in my internship and while researching and writing my dissertation. The Hansard Scholars Programme includes two academic courses, a internship (almost guaranteed to be in British Parliament), and a dissertation. I found that the academic courses were very elementary introductions to British politics and parliament while my internship and dissertation topic gave me an in depth understanding of British institutions. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Hansard team was excellent! Everyone was friendly, knowledgable, and more than willing to help with any issue a student abroad could come across. I had a bit of trouble making the initial payment for the program but it was well worth the struggle. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was exceptional. In zone 1 of London within walking distance of LSE and Parliament. No complaints here! |
| * Food: |
Food was not provided by the program. The British are not known for their food, but there is a huge international selection everywhere you go. In fact, there were two farmers' markets within walking distance of our flat. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
London is an international city. It is very easy to get adjusted and blend right in! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Did not have any experiences with healthcare. |
| * Safety: |
London is incredibly safe. I walked home at night often and never felt threatened or vulnerable. Most the females in our program had no issue walked home alone at night as well. We did not have any safety scares while abroad. |
| 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 is very expensive, be prepared. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
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? | Get Bank of America to avoid the cost of an atm machine! |
