The time of my life! Past Review
By Samantha Heffner (Trinity University) - abroad from 01/02/2016 to 06/11/2016 with
IFSA: London - Queen Mary, University of London
I learned a lot about myself - what I'm capable of, what the boundaries of my comfort zone look like, and what I might want to do later in life. I think it was really worthwhile, because I've definitely grown a lot as a person - more than I would have if I had simply stayed home.
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 day-to-day course load wasn't exactly as much as I was used to at home, but the evaluations did require the same amount of preparation |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I really liked my flat, and it was a great way to meet local students in an intimate setting that you wouldn't normally get from classes. |
| * Food: |
It was self-catering, so the quality of the food was largely up to me. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It took me a while to feel integrated into the local culture, but I'm not sure if I ever really felt like a part of the university community as a whole. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The local healthcare system was pretty easily manageable compared to what I'm used to at home. The staff were helpful and answered my questions, and I was able to get a prescription for medication I needed. |
| * Safety: |
London was a very safe city |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This program was very helpful when it came to adjusting to a new environment, and it was nice to know that I had such a large support network if I ever needed it. The school was nice, too, and I really liked having an actual campus where I could simply walk to class from my dorm. |
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) |
London is a very expensive place, but I think I did manage to save money fairly well, considering the cost of living |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $175 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to cook for yourself, since you can get a lot more at the grocery store than you can eating out; if you need to use the Underground a lot, get a student Oyster card and use the discounts on travel cards |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | It's very important to make yourself go out and meet people and see things yourself |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
