Study Abroad: Not All It's Advertised to Be Past Review
By Christine L (Religion/Religious Studies., University of Rochester) for
IES Abroad: London Direct Enrollment - SOAS, University of London
Oddly enough, despite all the issues, I would still choose this program over again. I learned an awful lot from it, in terms of being independent and asserting myself. I am happy it's over, and I don't feel like it was a huge life changing experience, but I still thing it was a useful thing to go through.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The lack of assessments made it difficult to know how I was doing in a course. There was so much independent reading and so few lectures that I essentially could have taught myself for a year. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Both IES and SOAS had very unimpressive administrations. I understand that to err is human, but the continued mistakes and dropped balls indicate more than the mere occasional mistake. From a name misspelling on my first visa application letter to not delivering on advertised aspects, I was extremely frustrated with both IES and SOAS. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was extremely dissatisfied with my housing. The lifestyle adopted by the students in the dorms did not match mine at all (e.g. I am not a binge drinker). I was also extremely dissatisfied with the quality of the accommodations. The hot water was unreliable, the internet was unreliable, paint was peeling, the ceiling had extensive water damage, the bed was little more than a cot, etc. I do not expect to live in luxury when overseas or in a school dorm - but I had expected these basic features to be of a little higher quality when going to a developed country like England. |
| * Food: |
I cooked for myself, as there were no provided dining facilities or meal plans. While this was a little annoying (especially as, when I was originally getting settled, IES did not even offer any sort of meal option or help in figuring out where to get food), I generally enjoyed cooking for myself. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I didn't really participate in social and non-academic aspects of the program. I did that independently. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We were given a lot of flyers and information on health. It was the one thing IES constantly addressed. |
| 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? | Roughly 30 pounds, between groceries and Tube fare. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | - find a bank that has no overseas fees (TD Bank was great for me) - budget for basic household goods you can't fit in a suitcase (e.g. cooking utensils, bedsheets, laundry detergent) - laundry is expensive! - try to shop at places with student discounts - make sure to leave extra money for sightseeing / trips / souvenirs |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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