Brighton- small town, big personalities Past Review
By Clare W (PSYCHOLOGY., Trinity University) for
IFSA: Brighton - University of Sussex
Absolutely. I learned to be independent, and to travel on my own.
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. |
The schooling at University of Sussex was much easier than my host university. The classes only met a few times a week, and there were no tests or papers throughout the semester, only at the end. I had some assignments during the semester, and friends of mine had presentations (if they were in 3rd year courses), but no one had a particularly heavy work load. They also grade more easily. The classes were much bigger than I'm used to, however, which I wasn't a fan of, but could deal with for a few months. Sussex has a ton of students and a small campus, so the library was often crowded which was annoying. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I was in the Early Start Sussex program, so in the month of September I only took one course before the British students arrived. This was the last year of the early start program because of changes to the English university system. Then once arriving at Sussex, there were a number of things planned through the early start program. Not much was through Butler at that point. At the end of the semester, I had dinner with the other Butler program kids and the program director in Brighton, which was fun! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorms at Sussex were nice. You get a dorm to yourself. I brought my own sheets and then bought at duvet for cheap at Argos, which I would suggest, because the sheets and duvet the university gives you (that you have to buy) are not nice. You can purchase a kitchen set as well, which I did, but I probably should have just bought individual items in town because it was 50 bucks and poor quality. But they do give you everything (pots, one plate, one mug, one of each utensil, wine opener, etc). Sharing a kitchen got annoying. |
| * Food: |
I cooked my own food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was close with the people from the early start program, and I made some great friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I had some issues with my eyes, and they couldn't really help me because I didn't have a visa. I have some friends who had health problems though and they didn't seem to have any problem with the healthcare. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | England is expensive, so be prepared to spend a lot of money! I mean you can save here and there by eating in, but travel is expensive no matter what. Get the young persons card! Can't stress that enough! |
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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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 enjoyed this program a lot! I liked the ease of traveling, however going to London got expensive, so GET AN 18-25 CARD! I didn't, and regretted it. |
