London: Everything you could want and more Past Review
By Katie D (Pace University) - abroad from 01/27/2012 to 05/09/2012 with
Regent’s University London: Direct Enrollment & Exchange
The experience was most definitely worth it, I have always wanted to study abroad and finally doing so was a dream come true.
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. |
Classes varied in intensity, I know friends that didn't have much work, but I found myself with a lot of reading and papers and with teachers that although they were very pleasant graded papers rather harshly. Still though, I found myself learning a lot, especially being able to view a lot of things from a new point of view. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We were housed in dorming that was mainly filled by other American students and placed into classes with other Study-Abroad students as well, although I greatly enjoyed my time there I do wish there was a bit more of an integration with those from the country. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
London is an expensive city, but I knew this going into studying abroad, and as there is with any city you just have to be open and look for places that offer better deals and prices. It takes time, but is always worth it rather than paying too much for the same things. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | varied, but I tried to keep my expenses down to 50 - 150 pounds a week, depending on if I went out the weekend before and how much I spent etc. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | FInd discounts and deals, there is 99% of the time a cheaper option, and cheaper doesn't always mean worse or less |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I was using my home language, but I guess there was encouragement there. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
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? | Just because you are studying abroad doesn't necessarily mean the classes will be easy or non-existent, also take more advantage of the plays and other offerings in the city! |
