DOPE Past Review
By Dominique Sims (Clark Atlanta University) - abroad from 09/11/2016 to 12/18/2016 with
KEI Abroad in London, England
I learned a lot about myself, the British culture and the exact direction I want to take with my career. It was definitely worthwhile, I would recommend the experience to anyone.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Susannah was great! She is so down to Earth and helpful. She was the perfect tour guide for London, but also gave us our freedom. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
No very satisfied at all. I stayed in the David Bomberg house and I appreciated having my own room and bathroom. There were some maintenance issues with my bathroom when I first arrived. However, sharing a kitchen with other students was terrible. The students I lived with rarely cleaned up after themselves which attracted critters. When I complained to the building admin, their efforts to fix the issue were minimal. |
| * Food: |
Meals were not provided with the program which made it very costly for me. I was forced to go grocery shopping every two weeks which meant I had to cook in a dirty kitchen. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved the British culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A |
| * Safety: |
Overall, I felt very safe in London. The buddy system is always recommended however I went a lot of places by myself. Just don't walk down any dark, suspicious allies and if you are going somewhere alone, always let at least two people know where you're going. |
| 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) |
Very hard, I struggled tremendously. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 20-30 pounds |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Definitely save up money before you get there so you can live comfortably. Apply for a credit card because a lot of American banks are not compatible with British ones, making it difficult to get cash and other things. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | It so much easier to not stress over situations I cannot control, keep calm and go with the flow. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
