Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

learning to love London one tube stop at a time. Past Review

By (PSYCHOLOGY., Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/15/2014 to 12/31/2014 with

Queen Mary University of London Study Abroad programme

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was amazing. Being abroad gave me such a newfound sense of confidence and independence. Living in a giant city like London by myself was well worth it and traveling solo throughout my time really enriched my experience.

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.

Honestly, Queen Mary humanities courses were really easy and I felt completely prepared for whatever they threw at me after being at Wellesley.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Queen Mary did a good job at getting our course all sorted at the outset of term, but then took a very hands off approach to checking in on their students.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had heard that Pooley had problems, but I was shocked at how many times our hot water or power was cut off during the semester.

* Food:

All the dorms are self catered so cooking for myself was a nice way to stay healthy while abroad.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Mile end can be a bit intimidating when it's late , but London in general is super safe.

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)

London is very expensive to being with, and the dollars to pounds conversion only made it worse.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 40$ on food, maybe 25$ on transport/ misc

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International 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?
  • Classmates
  • location
  • being in London!
* What could be improved?
  • Housing
  • course selection
  • class organization
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? save much more money then you think you need.

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 Urbanite
A 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.