Small Girl in Big City! February 06, 2023

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The U.K. system is slightly different from what I'm used to in my home institution. Instead of weekly assignments and assessments to keep me on track, I only had to submit one essay at the end of the term for each of my classes. It took a lot of adjusting and self-discipline to do these essays as I often had to do a lot of my own research. Most of my classes were very interesting, however in the neuroscience field at UCL, these courses were mostly led by guest lectures with a new instructor every week. Because of this, I felt like there wasn't a lot of structure to the course and these classes didn't benefit me for the essay that I had to submit at the end of the term, since the content would be slightly unrelated.

On-site administration of your program

The administration were very helpful in the beginning as I met with one of the biosciences administrators to talk about my courses for the term. However, for the rest of the term, there weren't any check in's.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I really enjoyed my living arrangements as I had a single en-suite room. I would have wished to have had more study abroad students in my accommodation to connect to. I did have a large shared kitchen space that I shared with a couple of girls on my floor, however it was oftentimes hard to find time when the kitchen was unoccupied as often the kitchen area was used more as a common or studying space.

Because I had a kitchen in my accommodation, I had to cook my own food and buy my own groceries. There was only one time where I went to the UCL refectory and I had a good experience.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Because London is such a diverse city, I had the opportunity to try different foods and cuisines. I also had the chance to go on a weekend trip to Wales through IFSA which allowed me to learn about Welsh history and visit historical places. The Fifa World Cup was also happening while I was in London and it was really exciting to go to watch parties and see the England team participate in the World Cup.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did get COVID at the very beginning of my study abroad experience, but the regulations in the U.K. were very loose so I simply isolated. Medication was very accessible at drug stores, but I was never in a situation where I needed emergency services. There was a time where I sought out therapy for mental health issues and the IFSA team helped to set me up with a provider.

London is a major city with a lot of tourists therefore there can be a lot of theft. However, the biggest advice I would give other students is to try to put your phone away while walking (preferably in a front pocket) so that you can be aware of your surroundings. Especially, as I would hear about instances where bikers would snatch phones from pedestrians. There were a few times I would walk home alone at night, but I wasn't worried because the tube station was a short walk to my accommodation and there were still plenty of people around at night.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Because London is an expensive city, it was hard to budget my money especially when trying to figure out the conversion rates. My expenses included food (groceries and eating out), transportation, buying things for my dorm room, kitchenware, excursions, and miscellaneous items.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Right in the center of the city
• Flexibility to take courses outside my field
• My accommodation

• The people in my accommodation
• More excursions outside the city
• More clarity on departure dates (I could have left a few days later)

The Outright Urbanite