A Wale of a Time Past Review
By Jen_2618 (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Fordham University) - abroad from 01/19/2013 to 05/20/2013 with
IFSA: Cardiff - University of Cardiff
Living abroad for several months, no matter where you go, is an eye-opening experience. It reminds you that the US is not the center of the universe and, trust me, you will hear a lot about what people think about the states! (both good and bad). Exposure to another country is so important & I think anyone who possibly can should study abroad.
Personal Information
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Cardiff University is a really great school with a good reputation, and for the most part, I enjoyed my courses and professors. That being said, there are far fewer assignments throughout the school year in the UK than there are in the US so I found myself spending very little time on school work until the end of the semester when I had to hand in my final papers. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We didn't hear very much from IFSA while we were in Cardiff. Our orientation was supposed to be 2 nights in London, but they had to cut it short for the Cardiff students which was a bit annoying, especially because they didn't reimburse us financially for the London orientation (nights in the hotel, etc.). I knew I could always contact IFSA if I needed them, but never really found that necessary. They did take us out to dinner & a play in Cardiff when we arrived & lunch 2 other times during the semester, which was nice. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in Talybont, which is where a ton of first year students live (upper-classmen live off campus). You have your own bedroom and bathroom there (very small, but you won't have that much stuff anyway), and I shared a kitchen with 5 other students. I liked living in Taly because you were living with full-time Cardiff Uni British students, not other Americans. Talybont is about a 20 minute walk from the center of campus, which is way more convenient than Uni Halls, which are a bus ride or a 35 minute walk away. |
* Food: |
Taly was self catered so I cooked for myself. |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Based on what I know about my friends' experiences abroad, I know I was far more integrated into Cardiff Uni than most other American study abroad students. Since we lived and took classes with Cardiff students, I inevitably made friends with British students, in addition to international students. Also, it helps that Cardiff Uni has a Student Union that so many students hang out in, whether at the Taf ( a pub) or Solus (a club), which is big on Wednesday and Saturday nights. |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had to go to the doctor's office once when I was in Cardiff. I wasn't really sure what would happen with insurance and everything there, but I saw a doctor and was given a prescription for penicillin (I had strep throat). I asked the receptionist on the way out if I had to pay here, and she said no, and I filled the prescription across the street, also for free. I'm not sure if they didn't realize I wasn't a full-time Cardiff Uni student and this was a mistake or if that is how it always happens.I didn't need any vaccinations, though there was a mumps outbreak in a city about 45 minutes from Cardiff, but most Americans should have the MMR vaccine. |
* Safety: |
Cardiff is an extremely safe city, the safest in the UK from what I was told. The area around Cardiff University & where I live in Taly is quite safe, and I never felt uncomfortable or in danger. That being said, Cardiff Uni never sent us security alert e-mails like my home institution does. There was a rumor about a student being assaulted while walking through Taly late at night, but the university never addressed it. |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
* 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) |
Cardiff is a fairly affordable city with a lot of cheap places for students, but the pound is worth way more than the dollar so that was a killer. Not including traveling, I probably lived on $100 on an average week (didn't buy expensive tickets for a concert or show or something) or maybe a little less, including food, alcohol, going out (cover charges & taxis). I obviously spent a lot more money traveling. |
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Look for deals at the grocery store! Remember you can use that money you saved on traveling. Look for cheap flights (Ryanair, etc.) when traveling & stay in hostels (which are both cheap and fun). Also, if you buy tickets for clubs ahead of time (either online or from a promoter), you can save about a pound every time you go out. |
Language
* Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
* 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? | Not everyone loves Americans. I kinda knew this before, but I wasn't prepared for how quickly people might develop an impression of me just because I'm American. The majority of people weren't judgmental (though many disagreed with a lot of American politics/policies), but you'll likely face that a little bit if you are on a program in which you interact with a lot of local students. |
Individual Course Reviews
Course Name/Rating: |
Hitchcock |
Course Department: | English |
Instructor: | Neil Badmington |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | This was my favorite class in Cardiff, and one of my favorite in my college career. Neil is an awesome instructor; he is knowledgable, helpful, and friendly. He was always expressing an interest in how I was adjusting to Cardiff. Taking a class on Hitchcock in the UK was really cool considering he was English. I learned a lot. There was one final 3200 word paper which was not really bad at all because there is so much to say about the films. |
Credit Transfer Issues: |