England Is My City Past Review
By A student (Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/11/2019 to 04/20/2019 with
Hansard Scholars Programme: London - Hansard Society
I was looking for a study abroad program that allowed me to immerse myself in a foreign political system, and this program provided me exactly that! Working in parliament was one of the most exciting experiences of my life, and I was able to learn an incredible amount about the history of the UK political system, and how we got to where we are today (oof...Brexit). In all seriousness though, this program is really what you make of it. If you are excited, internally motivated, and ready to contribute everything you can to whatever sector of British politics or government you are assigned, you will love this program just like I did.
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. |
If you're interested in utilizing an internship as an educational experience, this program is amazing! I was placed within the House of Lords and got to conduct some really incredible individual research while I was there, in addition to soaking up tons of general knowledge about how the UK political system differs from the US. That said, the two classes that we took in addition to our internship were fine. They weren't amazing, but they weren't terrible either. I felt both classes provided me with useful background information, but they in and of themselves weren't anything special. However, I choose this program for the internship, not based upon the classes. If you are also going in with that type of mindset, this program will be amazing for you! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I read a lot of these reviews before I went on this program, and I have to agree with what a lot of people have said before me. The administrators were a bit unorganized, but they were all lovely people and we really had so much freedom during this program due to our internship that it was never that much of an issue. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
For my particular year our group was large enough that we were split into two different housing units. I was placed in West Kensington and I loved it! I had my own really nice apartment, with a kitchen, living room, and washer dryer. It was literally right across from the tube station which was great, and since it was the further of the two housing options the program provided us with unlimited tube passes the entire program. So for four months I was able to hop on and off the tube from anywhere at anytime, which was a huge advantage in my opinion compared to the other housing. |
| * Food: |
I cooked for myself basically the entire time because 1) I really enjoy cooking, and 2) I saved a lot of money that way. There was a grocery store down the street and I'd just walk there and back every week or two for groceries. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
While I didn't interact with too many locals outside of my internship, I really loved getting to know the Lord I worked for, in addition to my fellow co-workers. They were extremely welcoming, supportive, and friendly and I learned a lot simply talking to them about their own political and cultural experiences. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you have the kitchen facilities, I would definitely recommend cooking almost all of your own food. However, the lunches in the dinning areas in Parliament are delicious, and heavily subsidized, so definitely take advantage of that every now and then during your internship! |
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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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? | Going in, reading all the reviews on this website, and talking to students who had been on this program before was honestly the best preparation I could ever ask for. I knew going in that the classes weren't actually taught by LSE professors and that as such they might not be that great. I knew going in that the administrators might be a bit unorganized at times. I was perfectly fine with all of that, because I was looking forward to one of the most unique working experiences of my life- and I got it! |
