Intensive Summer Study and Internship, A truly Excellent Experience Past Review
By A student (English and Politics, Brandeis University) - abroad from 05/25/2013 to 07/20/2013 with
Hansard Scholars Programme: London - Hansard Society
This experience was incredibly worthwhile. I gained the internship experience of working in the House of Lords and also just the experience of studying in London - and perhaps most importantly from my perspective, the personal growth to be able to do things on my own, such as travel, study, and other experiences.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
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 |
It was a little disorganized, but all the program advisors and people in charge were helpful and always around. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
I mostly needed to cook for myself so I ate much the same way I did at home, but the food when I did go out was quite good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel like I only really was able to spend time with the people in my program, mostly Americans, so while there was integration in general and when I wandered around, et cetera, I didn't get much interaction with local people. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
When I had a panic attack, the program was able to recommend a counselor for me to talk to who was easy to access. I didn't have any other health problems, though I know some people also in the program did get ill, and I believe they did not have too difficult a time getting help. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in London, and as far as I knew, there were no safety related incidents. Using the same safety tips and ways that any student gets around Waltham or Boston are entirely applicable to London. |
| 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 a very expensive city - the most expensive city I ever lived in. I think I was still able to live as with as minimal expenses as possible, but I'm not entirely sure. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | In London it is really hard to save money, and I was not particularly good at it, so I don't really have tips. |
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? | Nothing in particular that I can think of. I was generally prepared and the stuff that I wasn't prepared for were things I knew about but couldn't prepare for - such as homesickness or getting lost in the city. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
