Expensive but worthwhile experience Past Review

By Osmond (philosophy/math, Brandeis University) - abroad from 10/04/2012 to 07/05/2013 with

London School of Economics (LSE): London - General Course, Year-Long Study Abroad Programme

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

If you're doing a whole year abroad, it might be helpful to visit the school(s) just as how high school students would visit colleges. London was a great city and a great experience, but I felt the particular institution wasn't necessarily the right fit. And fit is one of the most important factors - and that comes in two components, 1) fit with the institution/university, and 2) fit with the particular program. If you feel that LSE is for you, the General Course program could not be more excellent. Also, what a school is famous for is not necessarily what fits you or what you would enjoy the most. For me, I loved my Economic History and Math classes at LSE, but not so much my Econ classes because I didn't like how they taught it and their particular academic biases (neoclassical assumptions), even though LSE is obviously renowned for their Economics.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Work load during the year is up to the individual, but the year-end exam can be very challenging.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Bureaucracy can be an issue but can be circumvented justifiably if you know who to contact.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Great location but very expensive.
* Food:	Lived close to Chinatown and right by Trafalgar square, so food couldn't have been better, but very very expensive. But it was so tasty that the prices could almost be justified.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	It's really up to you.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	Registering with local hospital was pretty easy and free.
* Safety:	Trafalgar square was certainly super safe, don't know about all neighborhoods. But pretty much all LSE housing are in safe locations.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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)	Central London.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	Varies from ~$200 to $700 depending on how much you go out.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Cook, don't go out too often. Look for cheap tickets when traveling - try to get discounts on discount websites such as mytrainticket.co.uk.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students
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?	Location Program - events, structure, resources, support, etc Classes from Economic History Math departments)
* What could be improved?	Could have shopped more classes (more a reflection about myself) Administrative bureaucracy Teaching style at institution - (very little class meeting times, which I personally didn't like that much)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Wish I had visited the school, sat in on lectures/classes beforehand, and researched it more thoroughly.

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 Academic or Linguist You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Economic History Since 1870 (EH101)
Course Department:	Economic History
Instructor:	Tim Leunig
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Most interesting class I've taken. Since Economic History departments usually only exist in the UK, if you have capacity, this class is a must-take.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.