A Wale of a Time Past Review

By (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Fordham University) - abroad from 01/19/2013 to 05/20/2013 with

IFSA: Cardiff - University of Cardiff

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
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

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?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
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?
  • The immersion in Cardiff University
  • Lots of time to travel (3 week long spring break, reading week, and several weeks of finals that allowed time for traveling)
* What could be improved?
  • Try to immerse us even further! (maybe teaching us how to join clubs & societies may make more study abroad students join them)
  • The International Office at Cardiff could be a bit more proactive. A lot of our professors had no idea what we did or did not know (i.e. we had no idea that we had to pick up the final essays topics & all the guidelines, including due dates, in the English Department office. I only figured it out because I eventually asked another student).
* 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: