Study Abroad in the U.K. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The UK University system is very different from the system in the U.S. There is only one lecture and one seminar per week for each class and they are somtimes held together so classes can last up to fours. Classes are mostly independent learning with extremely long reading lists and students can be expected to learn entire text books per week, or the main concepts anyways. I did not feel that I thoroughly learned the concepts I was expected to. The modules are very fast paced. There is also only two assignments per module and then a final exam with the final exam equaling 50% of the grade and the other two assignment making up the remaining 50% so make sure to turn in quality work on the assignments.

On-site administration of your program

It was hard to get in contact with the univeristy's administration and often had to contact them several times to get things done.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in Clanny House at the University of Sunderland. The flats are nice with two full bathrooms per flat. I had my own room with a sink inside. The bedding packs however are not very good. They come with an extremely small pillow, a duvet and cover, and a fitted sheet. I would recommend purchasing your own bedding upon arrival or bringing your own sheets. Purchasing bedding upon arrival would probably be cheaper than the bedding pack anyways. I also thought Clanny House was dirty and had a foul smell in the bathrooms and the cleaning staff is not very good. Clanny House is also a fair walk to St. Peter's campus and about a 20 minute walk to City Campus. It is a huge hassle if you either miss the campus bus or it does not come and have to walk to either campus. It is very inconvenient, especially in the cold weather, and it is always chilly in Sunderland.

I had a food stipend. It took the University about two weeks to issue my check, so make sure you have available money to buy food in the first couple of weeks upon arrival.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The other exchange student were amazing and I made friendships that will last a lifetime. At Clanny House you are housed with sevel other exchange students from all over the world and all the exchange students live close together in Clanny House.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

There is a free health clinic right across the street from Clanny House and I received both free medical treatment and prescriptions from the health clinic. There is no need for an appointment, you can walk right in, although if it is busy there many be a wait, I would suggest going early in the morning. You do not need to provide any type of health insurance to use the services.

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