An amazing summer experience abroad! February 14, 2022
By Massa M (International Studies, Indiana University - Bloomington) - abroad from 06/07/2021 to 07/24/2021 with
IES Abroad: London - UK Today Summer
While living in London, I also appreciated how diverse the city was and how open it was to cultures from all over the world! This was the most exciting part for me! In London, every neighborhood or borough was a touristy and niche with plenty of cultural boutiques and restaurants. I was also about 15 minutes away from Camden Market, a local market with clothing, art, food, and other vendors! I was able to gain so much insight from my classes! My classes were about UK Politics and Media and Theatre in London. While studying our classes me and my friends had the great opportunity of go on excursions and cultural immersion field trips that allowed us to understand our lessons and view the historical city of London and it’s impact over the years! This program was worthwhile because I gained so many great cultural experiences and opportunities all while having independence and freedom to explore the city!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
In summer of 2021, I studied in London through IES Abroad for 6 weeks! This program was filled with so many great memories and opportunities for me! During this time I took two amazing classes that gave me more insight into London, England and more largely the United Kingdom. My classes two classes were UK Media/Politics and Theatre in London. While studying our classes we had the great opportunity of go on excursions and cultural immersion field trips that allowed us to understand our class lessons! My favourites were going to different theatres throughout London and watching shows, it was also great seeing the city of London and the government buildings! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
At first I was very nervous and worried about adjusting to another city, and country. But, throughout my experience The IES staff was very helpful! They helped us students understand transportation, gave us safety tips, recommendations and also created events and opportunities for us to go outside of the city of London and visit other cultural locations within England! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We stayed in a college student accommodations building and each had single bedroom occupancy. The staff at the location was very welcoming and helpful. I liked having the freedom and comfort of my own bathroom and kitchen! |
| * Food: |
London has a lot of cultural diversity when it comes to food and because of this I found myself eating from a lot of different cultural restaurants whether it be carribean food, african food, latin food, and more! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
While living in London, I also appreciated how diverse the city was and how open it was to cultures from all over the world! This was the most exciting part for me! I lived in an area known as Camden/Kentish Town, a little touristy and very niche neighborhood with plenty of small cultural boutiques and restaurants. I was also about 15 minutes away from Camden Market, a local market with clothing, art, food, and other vendors! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
We followed quarantine protocols when we arrived to London and we did our COVID-tests and communicated with the NHS od England. IES Abroad also gave us a large box of rapid covid tests that we could use personally to test ourselves throughout the program and this was very helpful! |
| * Safety: |
We were given safety tips to use when we were out in public as well as ways ton contact IES Abroad administration if we were to ever get lost, need help, etc |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
One of the most rewarding and exciting things I am proud to have done while in college is Study Abroad. In summer of 2021, I earned the opportunity to study in London for a 6 week program! The IES Abroad London Summer Program was filled with so many great opportunities! During this time I took two amazing classes that gave me more insight into London, England and more largely the United Kingdom. I was also able to meet other college students just like myself and create beautiful memories with people and now close friends I will forever remember! From tea dates, to the portobello market, to the London eye, to watching the sunset at primrose hill and biking through the city of London, there were so many exciting venues to see! When you study abroad the possibilities are endless, you get to call a different city in another country your home for 6 weeks! This was such a joyful experience and I would gladly do it again! |
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) |
The city I lived in was a bit expensive but I made sure to work ahead of time to save up for the program. I would say I spent close to $600 total every two weeks. I would recommend cooking to save money simply because restaurants are a little pricey but definitely worth it! |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would recommend converting currency prior to travel or even converting your home currencies the day you arrive at the airport or a local exchange near where you live! I also used this app that allowed me to transfer my |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | English is my first language, so I had reached fluency |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | I studied abroad in London and so I was around a lot of english speakers. This made it very easy for me to adjust langauge wise, but I was very observant to make sure I used colloquials and other familiar dialect within the area I was in to make sure my communication was understood in the best way possible! So overall I would recommend just being as observant as possible and have the patience and put in the effort to learn new things! |
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? | I am so glad I had the opportunity to study abroad and if I could go back in time I wish I would have known how fast everything was going to fly by and how impactful the great memories would be, I would have savored those great memories even more! :) |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
