A Wonderful & Immersive Experience!!! (Highly Recommend) Past Review
By Aneeza Asif (Barnard College) - abroad from 01/10/2020 to 03/17/2020 with
Queen Mary University of London Study Abroad programme
I learned that it is hard to adjust to it raining everyday but you have to make it worthwhile. You are only there for a, what may seem long, short period of time and you should go out and do everything you can because you never know when things can change (i.e. COVID 19).
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
When compared to my home institution, the academics at Queen Mary were quite similar but more manageable since there aren't as many exams and the system is based on you holding yourself accountable to review material. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Global Opportunities Office is the best!! Jessica and everyone on the team are so welcoming and warm. They are always there for you no matter what and respond to any emails quite quickly which is amazing. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I chose to live off-campus (Barking) which was very nice and only a 30 minute tube ride to campus. |
| * Food: |
There are so many places to eat near campus from chains like KFC to local eateries, it was great! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The culture was not too different than NYC so it was pretty easy to integrate into London culture as well as the culture around Queen Mary which is predominately South Asian (like myself). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not run into any health care issues, so I would not be able to speak on that, but depending on which program you are admitted through, some offer insurance. |
| * Safety: |
The city felt very safe, in fact much safer than NYC. In general Europe is known for pickpocketing so I would keep an eye on your belongings, but I did not run into any of that trouble (thankfully). |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The sense of community and support I felt from the Global Opportunities office also resonated onto campus through my interactions with professors and local students and that is a big deal for me. It is something that I will always cherish because such interactions are hard to come by. |
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 really expensive and that's just the honest truth. Depending on how often you use the tube, you could easily spend $50-$80 on transportation each week especially if you wanted to go out and explore places. In addition to that, food packaging is much smaller than what we have in the US so food is also a bit more expensive but affordable. |
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
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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? | There's going to be a lot of holding yourself accountable so please do your work and revisions as you go instead of waiting until the end! |
