Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Great Location, Mediocre School, Overall Fun Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/14/2016 to 12/16/2016 with

IFSA: London - University College London

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Learned how to travel better. Further developed my independence. It was definitely 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.

UCL is not a great school. It is probably still worth attending, but just for its location.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I would take different courses, and maybe it would be better. UCL is more bureaucratic than one could dream in their wildest dreams. Overall though it was a great opportunity to be in Bloomsbury.

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 spent probably 3k, and I had housing and food for most meals.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 150 GBP
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Consider the '16-25 rail card' which will cut down on London underground prices.

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?
  • Location in London / Neighborhood
  • People I Met
  • Being near Europe
* What could be improved?
  • Course Registration
  • Communication regarding dates
  • assignments being more clear
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That the first two weeks would not have class (they did not have class the first two weeks...). That departments do registration differently, some simply ignore the online system- EMAIL ALL PROFS OF CLASSES THAT INTEREST YOU.

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 Linguist
You 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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Networking and Concurrency
Course Department: COMP
Instructor: Kevin Bryson
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was a decent course. It was not too challenging, and mostly comprised of bi-weekly quizzes and one coursework. Lecturer was a nice guy and cared about the students' understanding.
Credit Transfer Issues: TBD, probably not.
Course Name/Rating:

19th and 20th Century Art in London
Course Department: HART
Instructor: Kelly Freeman
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Each Class was a field trip to a museum. I participated very much, as I normally would. Teacher was a grad student, and did not really know her stuff.
Credit Transfer Issues: TBD, hopefully none.
Course Name/Rating:

Archeology of London Before the Great Fire
Course Department: ARCL
Instructor: Gustav Milne
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The only fantastic course that I took while at UCL. Gustav Milne knows his stuff, and actually discovered much of what is discussed. Really fun class, is completely field trips throughout London. Take it if you go to UCL.
Credit Transfer Issues: TBD, Hopefully not.
Course Name/Rating:

Human Computer Interaction and Software Engineering
Course Department: COMP
Instructor: Graham Roberts
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I would not suggest taking this course. I attended almost every lecture, but the vast majority did not (15% attendance most days). The material was dry and uninteresting. We were assigned numerous assignments out of no where, like a 5000 word paper. Avoid this class.
Credit Transfer Issues: TBD, hopefully not.