Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Love London but Don't Choose UCL Past Review

By (Franklin & Marshall College) - abroad from 09/09/2014 to 12/13/2014 with

IFSA: London - University College London

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Learned how to live by myself in cities. Very important. That part was worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Humanities are extremely challenging. It is very empirically based and little support system exists for students. It was stressful and unfortunately travel led to some poorer performance than usual on assignments/exams.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

N/A

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

IFSA-Butler stuck me in a dorm quite far from UCL with all Americans. Hard to immerse yourself in that situation.

* Food:

Great food in London

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Definitely a fun city but as I mentioned, I struggled immersing myself due to a poor living situation. I was quite an anglophile before coming too so I had a common ground greater than most students for interaction.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

NA-No experience with them. (Although NHS seemed great)

* Safety:

Safe city. Central London where you will mostly be is very safe but there are some areas you might find yourself that have great scenes but are sketchy such as Hackney, Shoreditch, Brixton, Tottenham.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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)

I can be rather austere but this is not a cheap city by any means. Extortionate for some items...

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Tesco and I strongly recommend a place called "Iceland"

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

  • Americans
* 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?
  • Social Life
  • Attractions of THE City
* What could be improved?
  • Academic Transparency
  • Academic Bureaucracy (maddening)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Not to go to UCL, it definitely negatively influenced my overall satisfaction with the trip.