Culture a little more shocking than expected Past Review
By mhgross (Politics, Philosophy, Brandeis University) - abroad from 09/08/2012 to 12/15/2012 with
Hansard Scholars Programme: London - Hansard Society
Intense knowledge of UK/EU politics, first-hand experience in parliament.
Personal Information
| 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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Somewhat disorganized but committed and well intentioned. They do a really solid job of working with the demands of program participants and the finicky nature of UK politics |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Conway hall was beautiful and central. |
| * Food: |
It's London. There is amazing food everywhere. It's just expensive |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It is easy to connect and integrate yourself into the culture if you are willing to make an effort. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A |
| * 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 150/week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook! Eat/drink in Portcullis House/on the Parliamentary estate! |
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? |
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? | to really invest time/energy in internship and dissertation. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Politics and Public Policy |
| Course Department: | Politics |
| Instructor: | Peter Caterall |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | This class was fairly straightforward and was filled with important information about the British policymaking process. While the subject matter of this class was very interesting and relevant to every-day work in internships, the instructor is somewhat dry and it is sometimes difficult to stay focused for lecture. There is a large amount of non-mandatory reading that is listed for the course, mostly useful for the class's one essay and final exam. Classes consist of part lecture, part class discussion centered on British/EU political history and current events. While it's possible to go into this course with very limited knowledge/understanding of UK politics, is useful to stay up-to-date on current policy and to brush up on history to better participate in class discussions. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
