London, where english is a foreign language Past Review
By Kristin N (History, Tulane University) for
IFSA: London - University College London
I would say that studying in London for a year has taught me a great deal about myself as a person and my ability to find success in a completely different academic as well as cultural setting. Honestly, I am going to miss London terribly when I leave in June and I think it will be incredibly difficult for me to return to the US style of teaching. London has become a part of me.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
In the UK you only take 4 credits in total that for me broke down as 3 year-long courses with two 2500 word essays and ending in a final examination and 2 half-credit courses that were graded based on two 2500 word essays. My total in class time at UCL is only 8 hours but there is much more outside reading than in the United States that allowed me to focus on topics that interested me most. I really liked the mix of seminar classes (2 hours 1 time a week) with the lectures (1 hour a week plus 1 hour for a tutorial/class) because I felt that I got to interact with the information differently in each class. Overall I would say I much prefer the UK system of teaching because I think it is more challenging but also much more engaging and I feel like I have learned so much more here in the span of one year than I have in the previous two years at my American university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I thought the program was adequate, I liked that they planned day excursions outside of the city and that they held events that allowed us to interact with each other. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in UCL dorm housing that was quite nice because of its proximity to campus but I would definitely say that the living situation is less than ideal. I lived in a single, which was quite nice and spacious, but I would say that in general the staff is unhelpful (a fuse blew in my room and not only did they not have any extra in stock they were unable to point me to a hardware store to purchase one, I had to do research on my own). I fortunately lived in a hall with a meal plan and the food was adequate (in the way dorm food is) but it was only breakfast/dinner monday-friday, meaning that on weekends I still had to purchase my own food, and while there is a kitchen that is adequate there has been a perpetual issue of food-stealing in our fridge that has not been effectively prevented. Overall I would say that the location of my dorm is ideal both to UCL and to popular parts of London but the day-to-day has been frustrating and the inconsideration of both the staff and some of the students has left a less than ideal impression. |
| * Food: |
Satisfactory. The food was always adequate and they always had vegetarian options. It is typical dorm food so nothing to get too excited about but it is not terrible. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I quite enjoyed our trip to Dover Castle and Shepherd Neame brewery in first term because Dover was beautiful and it was interesting getting to see how beer is made. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
London is for the most part safe, especially in the area that UCL is in, and there is also no gun violence (there is knife violence though). In regards to health, I qualified for NHS (National Health Service) and while fortunately I have not become ill enough to need them I was able to get birth control for free and other prescriptions are cheaper if not free as well. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Fortunately I had a meal plan so some of my food costs were alleviated but per week I would say that I spent about $12 (£7) on groceries, going out to dinner food ranges from $16-$30 (£10-£20). Alcoholic beverages are completely dependent on where you go, we had several union bars that you could get cheap drinks for $2.50 (£1.60) but in non-subsidized places it is more standard to be spending between $6-$8 (£4-£5) for drinks. The tube is a lot cheaper if you get an Oyster Card that can be topped up and it is nice because you can use it for the bus system too (which is even cheaper) and I would definitely recommend getting to know the buses because they are cheaper and you get to look out the window and see the city (rather than the tube, which is faster but there is much less to see). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I wish that I had known that the meal plan in my hall was so limited because that threw my budget for the first term. I also wish that I had realized the cost effectiveness of going to the grocery store and cooking for myself rather than just going out to eat earlier because I would have saved myself a lot of money. Going out is a great deal of fun in London but there are costs that add up: from getting to the venue, paying the cover, getting drinks out, taking a cab home or finding a night bus. Almost all of the nightlife events have covers but they are usually cheaper if you buy a ticket in advance and/or have a student id. |
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 think this a good program that will give you a lot of incite into London and the British academic system; but be wary, this is not a program where you will sit back and not have to do anything, you are enrolled in an actual university and you will have as much coursework here as you do at home but I honestly find it incredibly rewarding and I feel like I have been given such a unique opportunity that I think a lot of study abroad students are not exposed to because I have actual classes with students from all over the world and with world-renowned lecturers who are pre-eminent in their field, and that I think makes having to do actual work worth it. |
