Learning in London Past Review
By Lori D (Technical and Business Writing., Ithaca College) for
Ithaca College: London - Ithaca College London Center
It was a worthwhile experience. I saw an incredible amount of theatre, I got to visit a ton of great galleries and again it was a great starting point for traveling around Europe. What was especially valuable for me in London was how multicultural my experience was, despite it being an English-speaking country.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The biggest and most incredible difference between the classroom in London and the classroom in Ithaca is that we spent a lot of time in the city engaged in experiential learning. I think this is probably the most effective and most fun way to learn a subject. Overall the workload was incredibly reasonable, and though classes were about three hours long and sometimes painful, this gave us more free time to explore the city. All grading systems were fine. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The faculty was very accessible and helpful with all issues. They were very active in teaching students about life in London and culture in the UK. Overall they were very friendly, sweet people. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Two other students and I were looking for an affordable apartment and ended up finding one in a largely Muslim neighborhood. We were right off of Edgware Road, which was pretty busy most of the time, even at night. There was a pub below us, which our landlord owned. Sometimes he gave us free drinks. Overall I think the safety in our neighborhood was average. As far as aesthetics go, a lot of the signs were in Arabic, which made things more interesting. A lot of the side streets were quaint with thin, sometimes colorful buildings. Edgware road was full of commerce. Overall I'm pretty pleased with the housing situation. |
| * Food: |
Overall the food wasn't incredible, but it had its moments. I was a vegetarian and most restaurants accommodated to this. I'd recommend going to Brick Lane for food. The neighborhood has good Indian restaurants and the market had good African food when I went. Most of the markets have good food options, actually. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I enjoyed going to Stratford Upon Avon and all of the walks with Bill. Bill's walks were very informative and allowed us to get familiarized with the city. I also really enjoyed going to plays with my classmates. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
London isn't the safest place. Our apartment was robbed once. |
| 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? | I probably spent an average of 30 pounds on food, etc. weekly. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I'd say just try to buy groceries and prepare you own food as much as you can. Don't go out every night. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you're studying theatre or art, go to London. |
