London is the best city ever Past Review
By A student (University of the Pacific) - abroad from 01/15/2018 to 04/26/2018 with
IES Abroad: London Direct Enrollment – City St. George's, University of London
I learned that I'm capable of living in a completely new place and mastering public transportation, language barriers, and international travel. It was definitely worthwhile.
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. |
I did not like the UK school system very much. There is only class once a week and the entire grade in each of my courses was only made up of one exam and one assignment. It was a lot of memorization and very little actual learning. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very organized and great resources |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Good location, however, the building had a ton of issues. The staff was incredibly unprofessional and it was frustrating to have to share a kitchen with the entire floor. |
| * Food: |
I grocery shopped to save money 90% of the time but London has amazing food. Housing did not have any option for meal plan. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I did not get to know many English people in depth despite direct enrolling. I lived with other Americans. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I needed to get an injection that was not covered by the mandatory health insurance. Therefore, my program did not help me whatsoever. On my own I found a clinic and successfully got my shot. The line was long, however, it was free. I did not need any specific vaccines to enter the UK. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe at all times even late at night/early in the morning. Use common sense and you will be fine. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved London as a city. While the general thought is that direct enrolling is more difficult academically that doing an island program, I liked going to an actual university. |
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? | $40 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It takes discipline especially when everyone around you is going out/spending money, but it is definitely doable. I exclusively grocery shopped and limited activities to the things I wanted to do most. I tried to walk everywhere and if not, I took public transit. I never took a cab/car. |
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? | 0 |
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? | That the UK school system is so different than what I was used to. |
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! |
