London Adventure Past Review
By A student (University of Hartford) - abroad from 01/21/2017 to 06/03/2017 with
Regent’s University London: Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned how to be entirely self sufficent--traveling alone, planning trips, getting to doctors, budgeting money, making friends, being okay with doing activities alone, etc. I definitely became more independent than i thought i could be.
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. |
Overall, I was not impressed by the intensity of the courses offered at Regent's University London; the majority of the students in my classes while abroad were Americans and many lacked a strong work ethic, making the courses unenjoyable. I did not like the British education system which features classes only meeting once a week for three hours at a time; I think that classes meeting twice a week for a shorter period of time would undoubtedly allow students to prepare better and actually focus more on the work. It's a shame that the scheduling of classes was not efficient because the professors were very knowledgable and very well prepared. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I think that Regent's University London staff exhibited poor time management when planning the very first week that students were abroad. Orientation does not need to be an entire week long and could have been condensed to be more efficient. There should have been two days alloted to fix time tables rather than cramming it all into one day. And any procedural information could have been shortened to a one day session. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was very acceptable and the rooms were quite nice. Overall the dorm was mostly clean and the staff were all wonderful. The fellow American study abroad students from other universities were not always the most respectful of their peers in regards to cleanliness and volumes of music, talking, etc at inconvenient hours. The location of the university was fantastic and right at the heart of central London. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The university in London has no health services on campus and the staff were not helpful during cold/flu outbreaks, leading students to have to find their own means of locating doctors/clinics which can be expensive because we were not citizens of the country we were staying in,leaving us to pay out of pocket for everything. |
| * Safety: |
The city of London and England in general experienced three horrendous attacks during the spring semester, which harrowing results and many innocent lives lost, however, the university was quick to send out emails to students confirming their safety and notifying them of any developments in the tragedies. Overall, the school is incredibly well-guarded by 24 hour security, making it feel very secure. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I think that the location of the university makes the classes that aren't academically challenging worth the entire experience. Not having to worry about hard courses allowed for more time to explore and get to know London |
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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50-100 pounds easily |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't tell other students how much money you have-don't compare yourself to others. You will end up spending more than you think. Plan for that. Try to book major expenses as early as possible--plane tickets, hotels, theatre shows, etc. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | How expensive it was all going to be. How exhausting traveling is |
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 LinguistYou 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! |
