Life Changing Past Review
By Adrienne Williams (University of Louisville) - abroad from 09/26/2016 to 12/18/2016 with
KEI Abroad in London, England
It's difficult to put into words. I gained a much bigger world view and while there were many things that were different about London than my hometown. It was great to find common ground with people. It was a fantastic experience and so worth it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was a very self guided learning experience in the classroom. One assignment decided the semester grade. Which can be stressful but the lecturers and international office were very willing to assist me. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
International office at LSBU was great. They were always there to help and really cared about its students. I never felt alone in my academics. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was ok. It was really nice living with different people from all over the world. I made long lasting friendships. I didn't like having to pay an arm and a leg for laundry or been woken up by fire alarms almost every night. |
| * Food: |
The food was great. London takes pride in keeping its food healthy and preservative free. There was always a market to go for fresh food as well. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt integrated. London became my home and I was able to adjust well and quickly. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I only rate this way because I never had to receive healthcare abroad. However, it did take a long time to be registered with the NHS. I was finally registered probably my last month in London. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe. Also I lived across the street from a police station. I just made sure if I was going to be out at night to go with other people and never alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I felt like I got the most for my money with KEI. They were very helpful throughout the process of payment plans and credits transferring. |
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) |
London is an expensive city but it wasn't too difficult to stick to my budget. The hardest part was not working because funds go much quicker in the beginning. Especially from buying the items that couldn't be brought from home. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | about $25 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be sure you have saved before you go. You want to have plenty of money when abroad since you can't work (if your just studying for one semester). Also plan for trips outside the country. Plan tickets are considerably less from the UK to Europe. Hostels would be the best bet for students. Also plan in case you like to eat out alot. I didn't so I was able to spend on trips. Think about what credit card/debit you want look at the fees you might be charged when spending abroad. |
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? | Not sure. I didn't know much of anything going into the program. So I just learned as I went along. |
