How London Helped Me Grow Up and See the World Past Review
By Abbey W (Film/Cinema/Video Studies., Barnard College) for
King's College London: London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I grew up so much because I was put in the most independent situation of my life. I learned more responsibility and also learned to try so many new things and enter into new experiences. Granted, there were problems with my academic experience and the system was hard to figure out, but every single other part of my time in London was amazing. I made lifelong friends and was able to see so many interesting places.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were at a similar level to those at home, but the structure was so entirely different that I struggled a lot to understand what my professors wanted from me. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We were given a shoddy orientation, which explained very little. Only within the last month of the program was I made aware of the best library for finding research, which was reflected in the difference between the grades of my earlier and final papers. Also, there was a lot of red tape and it was hard to find answers to simple academic questions, as well as no outlet to ask questions about general life abroad questions. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my dorm, its size and layout, and location. The only problem I found was having to buy a whole set of kitchenware. |
| * Food: |
There were so many good places to eat, if you took the time to explore. Plus there are some amazing food markets in London (Borough market). And I learned a lot about cooking for oneself. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Monthly "Truffle Shuffle" nights at TuTu's club on campus were fun. Also, just exploring the city, visiting markets, museums, and walking around was always fun. Also, traveling in the rest of the UK and Europe is so easy and fun. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
There were no problems with healthcare. In terms of safety, it can be a little unnerving to see a city shut down at night when I am used to the city that never sleeps, but there were never any genuine concerns. My campus and dorm were in very nice areas. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | London is very expensive, and with the exchange rate things can cost more that in NYC. So, I spent quite a lot over the course of the term. Including cooking much of my own food and travelling several times (flights and hostels) over the five months, I spent roughly $4,500, so about $225/week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You should never have to spend more than $60 round trip to travel in or around Europe (try EasyJet and RyanAir). EasyBus is the cheapest way to travel in the UK. With the drinking age at 18, be prepared to spend more money than you may be used to on pub outings. If you really want to save money on travel, use couch surfing (it's free!). If you plan on exploring the city a lot, always use a monthly student oyster card. And generally, just try to make sure you understand the costs, considering exchange rates. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This program gives you a lot of free time and expects you to learn most of the academic material on your own. Make sure you're willing to enter such an independent program. The plus side is you're given so much time to travel and explore. And London has endless numbers of places to see and things to do. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Shakespeare in London |
| Course Department: | English Department |
| Instructor: | Hannah Crawforth |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The class was an amazing opportunity, as it was paired with the Shakespeare Globe education program. However, the focus of the class had very little to do with Shakespeare because there were so many components. The teacher was also an absurdly harsh grader with no clear instruction as to what she expected of us. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
American Underground Cinema |
| Course Department: | Film Department |
| Instructor: | Prof. Michelle Pierson |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The professor was from Australia and had taught in America. Her module was therefore much easier to adjust to. The content was interesting and the professor was incredibly knowledgable. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
European Crime Film |
| Course Department: | Film Department |
| Instructor: | Prof. Richard Dyer |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The class, again, was a difficult transition into UK academic standards. However, the professor was very knowledgable, the genre was unique, and it was generally a privilege to be taught by such an important academic in the field. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Women and the Old Testament |
| Course Department: | Religion/Theology Department |
| Instructor: | Prof. Deborah Rooke |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | As a student of a seminary, the class was fairly simple and did not expose me to many new concepts or ideas. Most of the students were in their final year and knew appallingly little about the Old Testament. It was also incredibly difficult to find enough research to meet the professor's expectation. I had to travel across the city to find a library with barely enough research materials. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
