Completely Worth It! Past Review

By Thais da Silva (The College of New Jersey) - abroad from 09/19/2016 to 05/24/2017 with

IFSA: Leeds - University of Leeds

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

It was 100% worth the money, time, and effort it took to get to England. I learned how to take care of myself, how to learn my way around a new place without someone holding my hand every step of the way, and I learned how to be more open minded. Study abroad to me is not just about taking classes abroad, its about learning to adapt to change and accepting that it will be difficult at some points but the result is absolutely life changing in the best way possible.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I had a very difficult time trying to do everything myself before I found IFSA. The staff were all so helpful in the USA before I left, and in England while I was abroad. The university was really amazing and was even awarded University of the Year while I was there, the city was incredibly lively and there was always something to do, and I just overall loved the whole experience.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The university was not the most helpful when it came to issues with modules, but it was ok in the end because the staff from IFSA were always helping me out and set me up with a reasonable schedule and modules.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I was lucky enough to live in a brand new building right in between the campus and the city center, each a 10/15 minute walk. Everything in it was amazing, it felt like living in a hotel!
* Food:	My building did not provide any food, so I cooked my own meals, and it was fine. There were also a decent amount of supermarkets close by to shop for groceries whenever I needed to.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I felt like a local student, and that was probably my favorite part of my experience. I did not want to be around tons of American students that I could fall back and rely because I wanted to embrace the English lifestyle, and I definitely did that!
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	It was difficult to get an appointment with a doctor when I was ill, but I eventually found one and it worked out. It just took a lot of time and patience.
* Safety:	I felt very safe in Leeds, the city is always busy with people, so I never felt unsafe.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes Although I had some tough times, I do not regret choosing the place, school, and program that I did. I met really wonderful people and I grew to be much more independent and courageous from my experience. If I could do another year abroad, I would definitely like to live somewhere new, but I would never change the year I had for anything else.

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)	It's much easier to spend more money than you intend to while you are abroad, and I definitely spent a lot of money considering also that England is more expensive to live in that my home country.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Remember that you will need to pack everything and take it back home, so either don't bring too many things, or don't buy too many things.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?	10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	The city The university The people (staff, friends, etc.)
* What could be improved?	Orientation
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I knew to not stress out so much about the classes and to enjoy the experience more for what it was. I wish I had not worried so much about credits transferring over as well.

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 Urbanite A 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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Numerical Analysis with Computation
Course Department:	Mathematics
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The content of this class is not impossible, but do not take the extra optional computational class unless you are very confident using Python to program.
Credit Transfer Issues: